Anti-cancer antibody work receives NRC-IRAP funding

Toronto, ON – Biotechnology company Arius Research says that the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) has awarded it a non-repayable contribution to support work designed to expand and extend its platform for generating novel anti-cancer antibodies.

The expanded platform will be used to produce the company’s next generation of antibodies. It will also enhance and expand its capabilities for pre-clinical antibody pipeline development and contribute to the characterization of cancer targets.

“We are very pleased to receive approval for this contribution from IRAP in support of our unique, Canadian antibody development platform,” says Dr David S Young, the company’s president and CSO. “Antibodies have emerged as a major new success in extending the lives of cancer patients. The constant improvement in our technology will ultimately increase the value of the antibodies that we produce both for our partners and us. This will ultimately translate into a greater benefit for patients. IRAP’s support will help our scientists contribute to this critical effort.”

The company has built a technology platform that identifies anticancer monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) targeting a variety of cancer indications. It has assembled a pipeline of over 300 functional MAbs, which can be used for commercial collaborations, out-licensing or in-house development.