Syngene inks pact with Zumutor Biologics

Leading contract research and manufacturing organisation Syngene International today said it has entered into a pact with US-based Zumutor Biologics for biotherapeutic antibody discovery services.

As part of the non-exclusive partnering agreement, Syngene will have access to Zumutor's proprietary naive human phage/yeast display library.

"This collaboration further enhances Syngene's market-leading capabilities in discovery biology, providing its scientists with additional tools to help solve complex biology problems in biotherapeutic drug discovery," the company said in a statement.

Under the terms of the agreement, Syngene will screen target antigens against Zumutor's proprietary human antibody libraries to identify and characterise novel antibody clones, which will be further developed by Syngene towards novel biotherapeutics programmes for its partners.

"This partnership will expand our existing portfolio of therapeutic antibody discovery platforms for our clients," Syngene International Chief Operating Officer Manoj Nerurkar said.

Zumutor Biologics Founder-CEO Kavitha Iyer Rodrigues said the company will use its proprietary antibody display platform to enhance Syngene's discovery programmes.

"Our antibody engineering expertise and experience enables us to optimise any lead to evolve into a best-in-class differentiated molecule," he added.