PhotoBiotics presents Antibody Directed Phototherapy Update at Euroscicon Empowered Antibodies

London, 14th May, 2013. Dr Mahendra Deonarain, PhotoBiotics' Chief Operating Officer/Chief Scientific Officer is an invited speaker at the inaugural Euroscicon BioTherapeutics week of conferences on 14th May, 20131.

Industry leaders and innovators across the spectrum of biotherapeutics will be presenting at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst from 14th-17th May, 2013 discussing recent progress and developments in immunotherapy technologies. Dr Deonarain will be speaking on the first day ‘Empowered Antibodies' about PhotoBiotics' OptiLink™ platform2 in combination with its proprietary light-activatable drugs. Uniquely, PhotoBiotics' light-activated ADCs, with built-in half-life extension, are based on antibody fragments, which offer considerable advantages over whole antibody-based ADCs, particularly regarding therapeutic window and the ability to penetrate solid tumours much more efficiently. The fact that there is now a dedicated stream to this topic shows how important ADCs have become in the arsenal of antibody therapeutics.

ADC targeted therapy is one of the most rapidly expanding areas in the biotech sector, with significant partnership deals being sealed and major innovation happening3. The first of the new generation ADCs has been approved for Hodgkin's lymphoma and breast cancer, with the latter being the hotly awaited follow-up to Herceptin3. Major pharmaceutical companies are taking a real interest, leading to licensing opportunities for biotechnology companies specialising in antibody-drug conjugation technologies.

Dr Deonarain comments "PhotoBiotics' OptiLink™ technology combined with light-activatable drugs offer a new approach to ADCs currently in development. Normally small fragments are cleared too quickly but our unique drugs actually clear more slowly offering substantial pharmacokinetic benefits with low side-effects".