• LifeArc will make a US$30 million equity investment in Kymab
• LifeArc to gain access to IntelliSelect platforms to enhance its antibody discovery capabilities
• Kymab will receive a percentage of LifeArc revenues from products developed using IntelliSelect

Cambridge, UK: June 24, 2019: Kymab, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing antibody-based therapeutics, today announced a strategic partnership agreement with LifeArc, a leading UK medical research charity. The agreement will enable LifeArc to enhance its antibody drug discovery capabilities into new medicinal products with Kymab’s proprietary IntelliSelect technology platforms.

Under the terms of the agreement, LifeArc made an initial US$10 million equity investment in Kymab, with a commitment to an additional US$20 million equity investment. Kymab will receive a percentage of revenues that LifeArc generates from any products discovered and commercialized using Kymab’s technologies.

The partnership provides LifeArc with access to Kymab’s advanced suite of next generation antibody discovery technologies, building on the charity’s success to date in antibody generation and selection. These technologies include Darwin, one of Kymab’s new transgenic platforms that replaces the original transgenic platform, combined with its human antibody screening platform which together can quickly deliver candidate therapeutics with the most desirable drug-like properties. The IntelliSelect technology platforms are designed to rapidly generate in vivo mature, fully human monoclonal antibodies.

Melanie Lee Ph.D., CBE, CEO of LifeArc, said: “At LifeArc, our focus is to translate promising research into direct benefits for human health and we have been highly successful in this, particularly in the area of antibody engineering. This unique opportunity with Kymab provides us with a new technology platform to rapidly generate the best antibodies across a range of therapeutic targets.”

Simon Sturge, CEO of Kymab, said: “I am delighted that LifeArc, with its focus on transformational medical research which has led to drugs such as Keytruda^®, has chosen our IntelliSelect platforms for their future antibody discovery programmes. LifeArc has a proven track record in discovering innovative, life-changing medicines for patients, and I look forward to our working together on therapeutic programmes that have the potential to transform patient’s lives.”