BioAtla Grants BioMotiv Exclusive Worldwide Rights to IL-22 Antibody for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Colorectal Cancer

SAN DIEGO and CLEVELAND, Feb. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- BioAtla, a global biotechnology company focused on the development of conditionally active biologics (CABs), and BioMotiv, the therapeutics accelerator for The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, today announced that BioAtla licensed exclusive worldwide rights to BioMotiv to develop and commercialize its TH22 pathway-directed antibody compound for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and oncologic indications. In conjunction with the agreement, BioMotiv established Kodosil Bio which will develop all compounds resulting from the license.

"We believe BioMotiv will be an ideal partner to take the antibody forward into the clinic, building on our solid discovery foundation that demonstrates the value of this antibody in the potential treatment of a variety of disease indications where there is considerable unmet need in large market opportunities," said Jay M. Short, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of BioAtla. "This partnership is an ideal demonstration of the power of our proprietary platform to generate unique, therapeutically-active monoclonal antibodies for a variety of diseases, both for our partners—in this case BioMotiv—and for our proprietary product portfolio."

BioAtla used its proprietary Comprehensive Integrated Antibody Optimization (CIAO!™) platform for the identification, humanization, and optimization of the monoclonal antibody. The CIAO! technology selects antibody candidates that integrate important features of manufacturing and process development into the protein design. This platform selects candidates with natural protein folding and glycosylation, high protein expression and faster downstream process development characteristics, enabling cost and time efficiencies throughout the development process.

Under the terms of the agreement, BioAtla will provide its proprietary discovery and preclinical development processes for the licensed compounds. Kodosil Bio will manage the development of the therapeutic antibody and will fund all discovery and development activities through clinical proof-of-concept. BioAtla will receive milestone payments and royalties on sales of all potential therapeutics developed through the collaboration. If the therapeutic antibody products developed through Kodosil Bio are sublicensed or divested, BioAtla will receive a substantial portion of proceeds resulting from the action.

"BioAtla is a unique company and partner in this industry given its robust, proprietary platform for identifying and developing promising therapeutic antibodies," said Baiju R. Shah, chief executive officer of BoiMotiv.  "We are pleased to partner with them on this important opportunity, which targets an immunology pathway that is gaining increasing recognition for its role in multiple disease conditions."

Antibody
The antibody is directed at a novel validated target in the TH22 cell/IL-22 pathway, which plays a key role in gastrointestinal autoimmune and inflammatory processes as evidenced by changes in expression in IBD and colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

About BioAtla, LLC
BioAtla is a global biotechnology company with operations in San Diego, CA and Beijing. BioAtla develops novel monoclonal antibody and other protein therapeutic products with more selective targeting, greater efficacy, and more cost-efficient and predictable manufacturing. By utilizing its proprietary technologies of product design and development, from target discovery to manufacturing and preclinical studies, BioAtla develops differentiated, patentable therapeutic proteins for its partners and for its internal programs. BioAtla has over 70 patents pending that cover its platform technologies representing a full complement of therapeutic protein development capabilities. Learn more at www.bioatla.com.

About BioMotiv, LLC
BioMotiv is the mission-driven accelerator associated with The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, a $250 million national initiative for advancing medicine centered at University Hospitals of Cleveland. The focus is to accelerate breakthrough discoveries from research institutions into therapeutics for patients through an innovative model that efficiently aligns capital and collaborations. The company leverages an experienced team and advisory board to select, fund, and actively manage and advance a portfolio of programs. Products are advanced to clinical proof-of-concept and then partnered. BioMotiv is interested in early-stage therapeutics in all disease areas. Learn more at www.biomotiv.com.

SOURCE BioAtla; BioMotiv