The U.S. federal government has awarded a notable contract related to the field of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defense or life science research of interest for potential applications in biodefense:
AnaptysBio, Inc., a therapeutic antibody company based in San Diego, Calif., this week announced the receipt of a contract award from the U.S. government for the development of highly thermostable anti-ricin antibodies for biodefense applications.
The contract is funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and follows successful completion of multiple biodefense-related antibody programs by AnaptysBio in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Under the terms of AnaptysBio’s contract with the Science and Technology Corporation, AnaptysBio will be responsible for delivering anti-ricin antibodies to the Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC), an agency of the U.S. Army.
The company’s antibody platform, known as SHM-XEL, is uniquely positioned to generate highly potent, functional antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic uses. Utilizing a proprietary antibody scaffold in conjunction with SHM-XEL, AnaptysBio has recently published the development of multiple full-length antibodies with unprecedented thermostability properties.
Extended stability at room temperature conditions minimizes the cold chain dependency of antibodies, therefore reducing the logistical burden for production, distribution and storage. Such “ruggedized” antibodies are of particular utility to the military and for applications in resource-limited areas.
