Ablynx wins European Mediscience Award for the second year in a row
Ablynx has won the award for 'Best Technology' at the 2010 European Mediscience Awards for the second time in two years. The European Mediscience Awards Dinner celebrates the best in the sector and highlights the achievements of individuals and companies. The event recognises the importance of access to the capital markets to fund growth and innovation and is attended by specialist investors, advisors, media and analysts.
Best Technology Award - Ablynx's Nanobodies®
Nanobodies are a new class of novel therapeutic proteins that are derived from naturally occurring single-chain antibodies. The basis for Nanobody technology was originally discovered in 1992 at the Free University of Brussels. The invention was based on the observation that Camelidae (the family which includes camels and llamas) are the only mammals which, in addition to conventional antibodies, also possess antibodies that lack light chains but still have the full antigen-binding capacity of conventional antibodies. In these heavy-chain only antibodies, antigen binding occurs through a single variable domain (VHH), which is the smallest functional antibody fragment of a naturally occurring heavy-chain antibody and from which Nanobodies are derived.
Dr Moses, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Ablynx, commented: "We are delighted to have won this prestigious award against such strong competition. Since Ablynx was founded in 2001, we have invested in building a robust and well validated technology platform which has, over the last four years, yielded a very strong portfolio of over 25 Nanobody-based therapeutic programmes with four Nanobody-based products now in the clinic."
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Topic world Antibodies
Antibodies are specialized molecules of our immune system that can specifically recognize and neutralize pathogens or foreign substances. Antibody research in biotech and pharma has recognized this natural defense potential and is working intensively to make it therapeutically useful. From monoclonal antibodies used against cancer or autoimmune diseases to antibody-drug conjugates that specifically transport drugs to disease cells - the possibilities are enormous