Memo Therapeutics driving forward antibody therapy

Memo Therapeutics (MTx) is joining forces with Northway Biotech, which is headquartered in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Northway will manufacture the most potent antibody candidate from MTx to combat SARS-CoV-2 as well as the newly described mutants. According to a press release issued by MTx, this has the capacity to neutralize coronaviruses. This immunotherapy is set to be released on the market in advance of an expected second wave of coronavirus infections. For this reason, the regulatory authorities have approved a four-month fast-track process.

In this dramatically reduced process, Northway will develop the cell line and manufacturing procedure in addition to producing additional high-quality batches of the MTx antibody for clinical trials. Furthermore, Northway is also said to be “perfectly positioned” to handle commercial production once this immunotherapy receives market authorization. According to information in the press release, Northway is also set to put into operation a larger production facility using stainless-steel bioreactors by the start of 2021. This capacity expansion is designed to meet demand from MTx.

“Based on outstanding efficacy data from our MTX-COVAB clinical candidate, regulatory authorities fully support MTx’s development plan for a fast-track approach towards market authorization”, comments Dr. Karsten Fischer, CEO of MTx, before adding: “We are confident that we will be equipped to serve patients’ needs by the start of 2021”.

Dr. André Markmann, Vice-President Business Development of Northway, explains: “MTx has very aggressive timelines due to the global health threat and therefore needs a partner that is able to respond to their demands rapidly while also providing a high-quality service”. MTx opted to collaborate with Northway because “we are able to meet these needs”, Markmann concludes.

Memo Therapeutics is a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) with its headquarters at Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich. The start-up has already leveraged its technology to successfully develop antibodies against the BK virus, which threatens patients recovering from kidney transplant operations.