Laureate Pharma, Inc. has entered into a cGMP contract manufacturing agreement with Arius Research, Inc. to produce Arius’ IgG1 humanized antibody. Arius’ Trop-2 antibody program targets a novel marker that has been linked to aggressive cancers including pancreatic, colon, breast and prostate cancer.
   
“Our specialized experience in the manufacture of monoclonal antibodies makes us an ideal partner to support Arius and the manufacturing of their Trop-2 Signal Transduction Antibody,” said Robert J. Broeze, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Laureate. “As with all of our Life Science client companies, we will work closely with the Arius team to help them achieve their manufacturing objectives.”
   
“The initiation of manufacturing for our second drug candidate demonstrates our ability to execute our milestones and move multiple candidates from the Arius pipeline of drug candidates forward,” said Dr. David S. Young, president and chief executive officer of Arius. “Laureate Pharma has a track record of expertise in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, including capabilities in both clinical and commercial-grade materials and will provide us with a supply of our Trop-2 targeting drug necessary to begin our preclinical studies in the first quarter of 2008 in preparation for human clinical trials.”
   
The Trop-2 Signal Transduction Antibody Program has produced the only unconjugated antibody currently in development targeting this marker. Trop-2 is a protein expressed on the cell-surface and found in cancers including pancreatic, colon, breast and prostate cancer. The target is thought to be a key part of the expansive MAPK pathway. The Trop-2 Signal Transduction Program was generated using Arius’ FunctionFIRST technology, which selects antibodies based on their ability to kill cancer cells.