Sutro Biopharma to Collaborate with University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a Recombinant Antibody Network (RAN) Member

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sutro Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing a new generation of protein therapeutics, including next-generation antibody drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies, today announced its collaboration with the laboratory of James Wells, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCSF, as part of the Recombinant Antibody Network (RAN), an international consortium of three expert centers at the University of Chicago, University of Toronto and UCSF funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under the terms of the agreement, Sutro will provide its Xpress CF™ technology for the rapid and reproducible expression of antibodies and antigens by the Wells Lab for the comprehensive profiling of different target proteins and protein families in a high-throughput manner.

"RAN is a consortium of three highly integrated technology centers focused on the generation of high performance synthetic antibodies of tailored specificity," said Trevor Hallam, chief scientific officer of Sutro. "Sutro's Xpress CF technology allows for high-throughput screening and optimization of many different protein variants to quickly generate antibodies with the required specificity and characteristics. We are looking forward to working with Professor Wells and his team to design proteins and antibodies for a better understanding of cellular processes and for the advancement of medicinal chemistry." 

Dr. Wells added, "High-quality antibodies that perform well and exhibit high affinity and specificity are not only very important therapeutics for many diseases, they are also essential for basic research. Technology that allows for parallel screening of many variants to generate quickly validated and renewable antibodies is an indispensable tool for researching the functions of specific proteins under normal or pathophysiological conditions."

About Sutro Biopharma
Sutro Biopharma, located in South San Francisco, is developing a new generation of antibody drug conjugate therapeutics and bifunctional antibody-based therapeutics for targeted cancer therapies. These therapeutics will significantly extend the clinical impact of current oncology therapeutic approaches and are beyond what can be envisioned with current, cell-based expression technologies. Sutro's biochemical synthesis technology, Xpress CF and Xpress CF+™, allows the rapid and systematic exploration of many protein drug variants to identify drug candidates. Once the product candidates are identified, production can be rapidly and predictably scaled up to commercial levels. Sutro has established a Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility for the production of clinical supplies of materials using its biochemical protein synthesis platform. Sutro has formed multiple partnerships with biopharma companies utilizing its technology, including a collaboration with Celgene Corporation to design and develop novel antibody drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies, as well as to manufacture a proprietary Celgene antibody.

UC Disclaimer
The information stated above was prepared by Sutro Biopharma and reflects solely the opinion of the corporation. Nothing in this statement shall be construed to imply any support or endorsement of Sutro, or any of its products, by The Regents of the University of California, its officers, agents and employees.

For more information, visit www.sutrobio.com.

Media Contact Sutro:
Martina Schwarzkopf, Ph.D.
Russo Partners
212 845-4292
martina.schwarzkopf@russopartnersllc.com

SOURCE Sutro Biopharma