Xencor licenses its XmAb and Xtend technology platforms to Centocor Research & Development

Xencor, Inc., a company using Fc engineering for the discovery and development of next-generation and biosuperior antibodies, announced today that it has licensed its XmAb^® and Xtend^™ technology platforms to Centocor Research & Development, Inc. (“Centocor”) for the optimization of Centocor’s antibody drug candidates. The license follows a 2009 license agreement that gave Centocor access to Xencor’s proprietary Immunofilter^™ software for the prediction of potential immunogenic sites in therapeutic proteins.

Under the multi-year agreement, Centocor will gain research access to both the XmAb^® and Xtend^™ technology platforms and has the right to develop and commercialize a specified number of optimized candidates. Xencor will receive license fees and is eligible to receive milestones and royalties on products commercialized from the collaboration.

“Our XmAb and Xtend platforms confer dramatic improvements to potency and half-life for antibody drugs that can provide key competitive differentiators in the increasingly crowded antibody markets,” said Bassil Dahiyat, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Xencor. “We look forward to expanding this relationship and enhancing the commercial potential of our platform through partnerships that complement our internal pipeline.”

SOURCE Xencor, Inc.