Fusion Antibodies signs antibody engineering deal with ARIUS to develop new cancer antibodies

Belfast, 28 February 2007 … Fusion Antibodies, a therapeutic antibody company focused on novel target identification for Oncology and Angiogenesis, has announced that it has entered into a antibody engineering deal with ARIUS Research Inc. [TSX: ARI], a leading Canadian biotech company, dedicated to personalising cancer therapy.

Under the terms of the agreement, Fusion Antibodies will use its novel technology and expertise to engineer new recombinant antibodies for ARIUS, which is currently expanding its pipeline of therapeutic cancer projects.The specific objectives and the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Dr Simon Douglas, Fusion’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “This contract with a leading biotech company such as ARIUS is tremendously important strategically for the Company. Not only does it highlight the potential of our unique technology, but it also gives us an opportunity to work with a partner, with an extensive network of partners in biotechnology throughout North America, for the development of innovative therapies for many types of cancer.”

Fusion’s unique technology platform, Fusion Expression Technologies (FET™) is a parallel tracking system that enables for the analysis of more than 500 potential protein targets or antibodies simultaneously, monitoring how different conditions, such as temperature and pH, can affect them.

The deal was also welcomed by Irish Enterprise Minister Maria Eagles, who added: “The outstanding achievements of Fusion Antibodies and other biotech companies are helping to strengthen Northern Ireland’s international standing as a centre of excellence in life sciences. Fusion is among a developing cluster of internationally focused companies which are helping to convert leading-edge research into products and services that are contributing significantly to vitally important medical research and helping to transform Northern Ireland into the knowledge-led, innovation-driven and globally integrated economy”.

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Fusion Antibodies - http://www.fusionantibodies.com/ 
Fusion Antibodies specialises in the rapid expression & purification of recombinant proteins and chimeric antibodies for the research, diagnostic and therapeutic markets. It offers a service based on its award-winning high through-put FET™ (Fusion Expression Technology) platform. Over 500 of these proteins have been supplied to a global customer base, underlining the broad experience and expertise of the Company.

Fusion is also building its own discovery pipeline of antibody therapeutics/recombinant proteins to disease-specific markers, with a prime focus in the therapeutic areas of Oncology and Angiogenesis. The Company has already identified a pipeline of lead targets, which have been taken to pre clinical stage.

Founded in 2001 as a spin out of Queens University, Belfast, the Company has gained several awards and is rapidly becoming one of Northern Ireland’s leading new companies in the BioPharma arena.

ARIUS Research Inc. www.ariusresearch.com 
Arius Research is a biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel anticancer monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) focused on destroying cancer cells. Established in 1999, ARIUS has built a proprietary technology platform, FunctionFIRST™, that rapidly identifies powerful MAbs targeting a variety of cancer indications. This antibody generation engine has enabled ARIUS to assemble a growing pipeline, which is used for commercial collaborations and in-house development. ARIUS has ongoing partnerships with key biotechnology and drug development companies. The company is listed on the TSX under the symbol “ARI”.

Media relations for Fusion Antibodies:

Northbank Communications
Sue Charles, CEO
Dr Christelle Kerouedan, Account Manager
Tony Stephenson, Media Relations
Eva Levin, Account Executive
t : +44 (0) 20 7268 3002
e: fusion@northbankcommunications.com 

At Fusion Antibodies:
Dr Simon Douglas
t : +44 (0) 2890 998510
e: simon.douglas@fusionantibodies.com