GANYMED has established advanced immunization technologies that can generate a broad range of highly effective and selective antibodies to the same target.. From this wealth of antibody diversity the best performers (iMABs) are selected.

Because GANYMED’s proprietary cell surface cancer targets have unmatched tumor cell specificity, iMABs can efficiently kill tumor cells without harming normal tissues. Freed from concerns relating to toxicity in normal tissues, GANYMED’s iMABs can fulfill the full potential of therapeutic antibodies by unleashing three separate but synergistic biological attacks specifically focused on the cancer cells alone:

• Direct suppression of tumor growth
  By modulating the signalling of their target molecule, antibodies can inhibit tumor proliferative signals (as is the case with Herceptin®), activate antiproliferative pathways, or activate apoptosis (death receptor antibodies).
• Antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)
  Full antibodies (but not fragments) can recruit killer cells to the tumor site and turn them against the cancer cell.
• Antibody dependent complement lysis (CDC)
  Tumor-bound antibodies attract cytotoxic serum components to the tumor cell resulting in rapid cell lysis (CDC). This is a potent part of the cell-killing activity of antibodies such as Rituxan® and Campath® in lymphoma or leukemia. However, antibodies like Herceptin®, Erbitux® and Avastin® totally lack CDC activity because their targets are expressed in several vital normal tissues. This reduces not only CDC activity, but also ADCC because of the synergy between the two processes.

As a consequence of this triple mode of cancer cell killing, GANYMED’s iMABs have greatly improved pharmacological properties by combining critical success parameters for better clinical efficacy and reduced treatment-related toxicity, including:

• A broader therapeutic window, and
• higher potency.