Projects

IOCB Tech’s main responsibilities include identifying commercially attractive projects developed within the IOCB, followed by analyzing their market potential and patentability, protecting their intellectual property, supporting the given projects’ development in the form of project management, finding commercial partners, and negotiating the contractual terms for signing license agreements.

We have participated in the negotiating and concluding of more than a dozen key license agreements with important pharmaceutical partners including Gilead Sciences, Merck, Novo Nordisk, and SHINE Technologies.

Our main areas of interest are the development of new drugs, diagnostics, and research tools. Our current portfolio includes projects focusing on a variety of therapeutic areas: e.g., the central nervous system, inflammation, cancer, and microbial resistance, as well as separation methods and research tools.

iBodies – Synthetic antibodies Active

Scientists:
Pavel Šácha, Tereza Ormsby

Challenge

Medical treatment based on antibodies can be in general very efficient, however, it is very expensive, it may induce adverse immune reactions and it is usually very narrowly targeted lacking thus versatility. There is always some group of non-responders as well as a group of patients with exaggerated reaction to the antibody treatment. Artificial synthetic antibodies – iBodies may overcome these drawbacks and even bring some new positive features into the therapy.

Technology

iBodies are polymer conjugates that can functionally replace antibodies.

Versatility of iBodies allows easy alterations (choice of fluorophores, affinity anchors, targeting ligands) and even identification of unknown targets of biologically active small molecules.

As an example, α-PD-L1 iBody is able to bind human PD-L1 with high potency, to block PD-1/PD-L1 interaction and to reactivate the suppressed T cells.