______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Agenus Bio
For nearly 30 years , Agenus Bio has been saving lives with its innovative immuno-oncology therapies and solutions . As one of the first researchers to use immunotherapy to fight cancer , the company ’ s journey has been marked by innovation and a commitment to improving patient outcomes . As Chief Manufacturing Officer , Alfred Dadson , begins : “ Agenus Bio is a pioneering biotechnology company that has been in the forefront of immunotherapy since it was founded in 1994 . We harness the power of the human immune system to fight cancer cells . As one of the first companies in the industrialized immunotherapy sector , we ’ ve built our business on an extensive pipeline of truly innovative therapies .
“ Our therapies are designed to target key mechanisms of immunization in tumors . The journey began with groundbreaking work in cancer vaccines and adjuvants . Our most notable accomplishment from the early days is the QS- 21 Stimulon , which is now a component of several FDA approved vaccines . Today , we are a leader in immuno-oncology , a type of oncology that specifically develops treatments using the immune system . A prime example of this work is our next generation CTLA-4 antibody , known as Botensilimab . This breakthrough therapy has demonstrated unprecedented activity in traditionally difficult to treat cancers . Our work continues to offer new hope to patients who have exhausted all their other options .
“ We currently have 13 compounds in our pipeline , including two novel compounds , Balstilimab , an anti-PD-1 , and Botensilimab . These compounds are advancing toward commercialization , and we are also working on several other promising developments ,” Alfred explains . “ Beyond these , Agenus Bio
Our development pipeline starts with our cutting-edge research
collaborates with its sister subsidiaries , MiNK Therapeutics ( adoptive cell therapies ) and SaponiQx ( adjuvants and vaccines ). We work closely as part of a broader immunotherapy network , providing cell therapy and adjuvants , some of which are still in development .”
Using a sophisticated operational network , Agenus Bio can efficiently manage its entire production process , as Alfred details : “ Our global infrastructure spans across three strategic locations , each playing a vital role in our mission . Our site in Cambridge , UK , serves as our discovery facility and engineering hub . We then have our headquarters in Lexington , MA , where we drive our innovation initiatives . Finally , our California facility is complete with end-to-end capabilities for state-of-theart manufacturing . Here , we hold all our clinical trials . This integrated approach allows us to efficiently shepherd our immunotherapies from initial concepts , all the way through to development and production .
“ Our development pipeline starts with our cutting-edge research . We have a strategy that ’ s built on the foundation of innovation , and existing medical applications of immunotherapy . Our focus is on developing transformative treatments that significantly improve patient outcomes , across a broad spectrum of cancer types .
“ Once the research has been refined to the point that it can be condensed down to a single therapy or treatment , it will move down the pipeline to our Discovery Hub . Here , new compounds , as well as compounds going through their second or third round of development , will be passed on to the specialists in our UK facility . Here , they undertake a process called cell line development . This is essentially testing the compound ’ s reaction to cancer cells . These early activities establish the viability of the
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