Year: 2012-13

Company: Meditope Biosciences

Liaison(s): Ellen Goldberg, Stephanie Hsieh, John Charles Williams

Meditope Biosciences is an early stage biotechnology company with a unique technology that can add molecules such as therapeutics or imaging agents onto monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that allows specificity, control, and no changes to the antibody’s binding capacity. The company holds an exclusive global license to this platform technology which was developed at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope. Often characterized as a ‘LEGO-like’ system, this technology has the potential for a broad set of applications such as: new 2nd generation antibody technologies (e.g., antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies), enhanced imaging agents for PET, and other technologies to allow more specific detection of cancers and other diseases. The precision and control afforded by Meditope’s technology in comparison to alternatives is expected to lead to enhanced efficacy and lower toxicity therapeutics, which are much needed in cancer treatment. Meditope is interested in developing an ADC cancer therapeutic partnership with a company that has an existing mAb in either clinical trials or on the market. In doing so, Meditope’s main objective is to identify a lead candidate that will ensure speed to market, commercially attractive partnering opportunities, and capability of highlighting broader application of its technology optimally. The Meditope TMP team was asked to evaluate the current universe of oncology mAbs in order to determine the top candidates for ADC development by Meditope, taking into account commercial potential, accelerated time to market, likelihood of partnership success, and features/capabilities of the Meditope technology. The team started by researching the current landscape of mAbs and formed weighted criteria through careful consideration of commercial, regulatory, and technical factors. These criteria shaped the creation of a scoring system used to filter the mAb universe yielding the top candidates through an iterative process. Each top candidate was assessed further to produce a small list of high priority partnering opportunities and strategies, including lead mAbs, clinical indications, and recommended regulatory path. Ultimately, the team provided Meditope with a comprehensive report on recommended partnering candidates and strategies as well as an adaptable selection tool for additional screening and evaluation.