Morphotek, an Exton, Pennsylvania-based subsidiary of Eisai, has launched its antibody drug conjugate (ADC) services business based on its proprietary Residue-Specific Conjugation Technology (RESPECT) and eribulin-linker toxin platforms.

RESPECT is a site-specific conjugation technology that targets select amino acid residues as a way of producing investigational homogeneous ADCs with defined drug-to-antibody ratios. The platform allows for site-specific conjugation of a single cytotoxic payload or two payloads with different mechanisms of action, according to Morphotek.

The platform uses eribulin, a synthetic analog of halichondrin B discovered and developed from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai by Eisai, as one of the cytotoxic payloads along with a proprietary high-throughput screening system that can evaluate multiple ADC products. As part of Morphotek’s services, the eribulin-linker payload is being offered as an option to develop investigational ADCs using traditional bioconjugation.

Morphotek’s ADC services business includes development of site-specific bioconjugate-ready monoclonal antibodies and ADCs, in vivo safety and efficacy validation, GMP manufacture of clinical-trial material, GLP toxicology studies, and/or development of immunohisotchemistry companion diagnostics.

Source: Morphotek