AAX Biotech and evitria partner on antibody development

Biotechnology company AAX Biotech has announced a new partnership with evitria AG to strengthen their early-stage antibody development.

AAX Biotech, known for developing technologies for antibody-based therapies, will collaborate with evitria, a specialist provider of antibody engineering and expression services, to expand access to its Opti-mAb® platform. The agreement will allow the technology to be used during the early design and optimisation phases of antibody candidate development.

Through the partnership, evitria will offer its clients access to Opti-mAb® under a research licence, with the option to integrate the technology into multispecific antibody formats during initial evaluation stages. The approach is intended to support biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in refining antibody candidates earlier in the development pipeline.

Addressing challenges at the design stage

Antibody discovery is a complex process, with early-stage decisions often determining whether a candidate will succeed in later development. One persistent challenge is the instability of single-chain variable fragments (scFv), which can hinder protein expression and complicate downstream development.

Opti-mAb® has been designed to address these issues by improving the stability and developability of antibody molecules. By tackling such challenges at the outset, researchers aim to reduce the risk of failure in later stages.

Antibody discovery is a complex process, with early-stage decisions often determining whether a candidate will succeed in later development

“Integrating Opti-mAb® early in the antibody discovery and development process allows us to address key challenges already at the design stage and support the selection of more developable antibody candidates,” said Daniel X Johansson, CEO and CSO of AAX Biotech. “Through our partnership with evitria, a trusted provider of antibody engineering and expression services, we can extend the use of Opti-mAb® across a wider range of antibody discovery programs.”

The collaboration is expected to make the platform more widely available across industry research programmes, with the aim to improve the efficiency of early antibody screening and optimisation.

Expanding capabilities for complex therapeutics

evitria works closely with companies at the earliest phases of antibody discovery, where timelines are tight and scientific uncertainty is high. By incorporating Opti-mAb® into its service offering, the company can enhance its ability to deliver complex antibody formats while supporting clients in identifying robust candidates.

“evitria works with companies at the earliest stages of antibody discovery where time is limited and risk is high,” said Stefan Schmidt, Group Chief Scientific Officer at Atlas Antibodies and scientific lead at evitria. ”By offering our customers access to AAX’s Opti-mAb® technology, we strengthen our ability to deliver complex antibody formats and support our customers in selecting high-quality molecules with improved stability and expression. This partnership with AAX Biotech reflects our commitment to continuously expand our scientific capabilities and deliver added value to our customers.”

While the collaboration remains at a preclinical stage, both firms believe it could ultimately contribute to the development of more reliable antibody therapeutics, particularly as demand grows for increasingly complex biologic medicines.