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KAHR Medical and Cobra Partner to Develop Trans Signal
Converter Protein Production
Keele, UK and Jerusalem, Israel: 11 May, 2009, Cobra
Biomanufacturing Plc (AIM: CBF), the international manufacturer of
biopharmaceuticals, and KAHR Medical Ltd., a Hadasit-Bio-Holdings (HBL, TASE:
HDST) portfolio company that develops novel drugs for the treatment of
autoimmune diseases, announced today a partnership agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Cobra will advance KAHR Medical’s Trans Signal
Converter Protein (“TSCP”) technology using Cobra’s maxXpress service and
recombinant protein production expertise. More specifically, Cobra will develop
and manufacture bulk quantities of KAHR’s TSCP proteins for preclinical and
future clinical testing. Currently, two recombinant proteins, KAHR-101 and
KAHR-102 are being tested in preclinical studies as potential treatments for
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis. Cobra has already developed a
purification process for KAHR-101 and batches have already been produced for
preclinical testing.
Simon Saxby, CEO of Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc said, “We are delighted that KAHR
has chosen Cobra to help develop its TSCP technology. Cobra’s maxXpress service
and recombinant protein expertise enable it to provide the required tools and
solutions necessary for companies looking to start on the road to clinical
trials and market supply. Also, Israel has a rapidly expanding biotech industry
and we are very pleased to be establishing a very good relationship there.”
Dr. Noam Shani, CEO of KAHR Medical said, “We have been working together with
Cobra for about 18 months on KAHR-101 and KAHR-102 and they have done great work
developing a production process for KAHR-101. We are looking forward to a long
and successful association.”
- ENDS -
For further information, please contact:
Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 714 181
Simon Saxby, Chief Executive Officer
Buchanan Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 207 466 5000
Tim Anderson/Rebecca Skye Dietrich
College Hill Life Sciences
Tel: +44 (0) 1260 296 506
Kathryn Robertson
Seymour Pierce (NOMAD & Broker)
Tel: +44 (0) 207 107 8000
Christopher Howard/Christopher Wren
Notes to Editors:
About TSCP Molecules
TSCP molecules represent a paradigm-shift in drug development. TSCP drugs are
unique, because they integrate two functional sides within the same molecule,
unlike conventional biologicals that only have one functional side. These two
active sides allow TSCP drugs not only to block or induce cell signals, as
conventional drugs do, but also to convert signals sent from one cell to
another, which is especially beneficial for the manipulation of the immune
system required for the treatment of autoimmune disease. As disclosed in January
2009, the company plans to initiate a clinical study of its first product,
KAHR-101, for the treatment for RA, in 2010.
About Cobra’s maxXpress
Cobra’s maxXpress service combines the expertise and experience of its cell line
development team with the powerful UCOE technology and can offer the following
advantages over the traditional DHFR–amplification system.
· Enables rapid production of gram quantities of antibodies and recombinant
proteins
· Ensures efficient expression, independent of chromosomal integration
· Evaluated for recombinant antibodies, secreted and intracellular proteins
· Eliminates the need to screen 1,000s of clones
· Unique mechanism that prevents gene silencing through effects on chromatin
structure
· Generates purified mixed clonal pool material in 10 weeks
About Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc
Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc is a leading international manufacturer of
biopharmaceuticals to the lifescience industry. Founded in 1992, Cobra provides
innovative manufacturing solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry covering
DNA, virus, cellular therapeutics and recombinant protein products. Cobra has
developed a range of unique, patented technologies, which underpin a successful
revenue generating contract manufacturing business.
www.cobrabio.com
About KAHR and HBL
KAHR is a portfolio company of HBL, the publicly traded holding company of
Hadasit, the technology transfer company of Hadassah Medical Organization. KAHR
Medical’s drug development pipeline is built around the Trans Signal Converter
Proteins (TSCP) technology, a novel drug technology licensed from the University
of Pennsylvania. For more information about KAHR Medical, please visit
www.kahr-medical.com. For more information about HBL, please visit
www.hbl.co.il.
Press contact: Marjie Hadad, media liaison, +972-54-536-5220 or
marjie@netvision.net.il.
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