Amgen links up IPD to create better meds

US biotech major Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) and the University of Washington's Institute for Protein Design (IPD) today announced a broad collaboration that will cover multiple projects with a goal of testing new technologies and creating protein-building approaches that can be broadly applied to the search for new medicines.

Under the terms of the agreement, financial terms of which are not disclosed, Amgen has provided initial funding for three sponsored research projects that will seek to apply IPD's de novo design technique to increase the versatility of traditional protein-based medicines. IPD is revolutionizing its field of science by creating custom-designed proteins from scratch to improve human health.

This will include optimizing Amgen's repertoire of BiTE (bispecific T cell engager) antibodies, with the goal of expanding the types of tumors that can be targeted with these molecules. IPD's expertise could also help Amgen to generate antibodies against very challenging drug targets and to devise new ways to modulate the activity of the immune system. In the longer-term, the broad-based collaboration could help shape the discovery and development of protein-based therapies.