ProBioGen AG, a premier service & technology provider for complex therapeutic antibodies and glycoproteins, announced that the company achieved an undisclosed milestone payment from Merus N.V. based on Merus' grant of an exclusive license to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province based Betta Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd to develop and commercialize in China Merus' novel MCLA-129, Biclonics^® bispecific antibody for the potential treatment of cancer, which utilizes ProBioGen's GlymaxX^® antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC)-enhancing technology for greater cell-killing potential.

Merus' use of the GlymaxX^® ADCC enhancement technology in MCLA-129 is the result of an agreement executed between ProBioGen and Merus in 2016. Under the terms of that agreement, Merus obtained non-exclusive rights to use the GlymaxX^® technology for Merus' Bioclonics^® pipeline of bispecific antibodies designed to treat various forms of cancer to enhance their ADCC activity. MCLA-129 is the third commercial GlymaxX^® license activated by Merus after MCLA128 anti-Her2/Her3 and MCLA-158 anti-EGFRxLGR5 bispecific antibodies.  

GlymaxX^® is a stable modification, applicable to any producer cell, leading it to produce antibodies without fucose in the sugar chain. Such GlymaxX^®-modified, afucosylated antibodies recruit and activate immune effector cells much more effectively, possess a much higher tumor cell killing activity and potentially require lower doses.

ProBioGen offers access to GlymaxX^® royalty-free as part of cell line development service projects or as standalone technology licenses.