Integral Molecular, the industry leader in the discovery of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against multipass membrane proteins, and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. today announced that they have entered into a new collaboration for antibody discovery following a previously successful collaboration. This second collaboration involves the discovery of candidate MAbs against an undisclosed target and leverages the power of Integral Molecular's MPS Antibody Discovery platform.

Integral Molecular has used the MPS platform to discover antibody assets targeting a number of other multipass membrane proteins, including GPCRs (CB1) and transporters (GLUT4). Many of these MAbs are the first of their kind to be isolated, as complex membrane proteins have historically been extremely difficult targets for antibody discovery.

"We have a proven track record discovering large panels of high-affinity antibodies against difficult membrane proteins. This has been driven by our innovative MPS platform and over 15 years of experience working with multipass membrane proteins, so we are confident in the success of this collaboration," said Dr. Ross Chambers, VP of Antibody Discovery at Integral Molecular. "We are pleased that Ono, a global leader in innovative medicines, considers us to be a trusted partner in antibody discovery."

"We have been impressed by Integral Molecular's membrane protein expertise and their proven record in discovering antibodies against them," said Hideaki Tada, Executive Director, Center of Oncology Research of Ono. "This is our second collaboration with Integral Molecular, and we are very pleased to deepen our engagement with them."

About Integral Molecular

Integral Molecular (www.integralmolecular.com) is the industry leader in membrane protein antibody discovery, with a pipeline of therapeutic antibodies against GPCRs, ion channels, transporters, and immuno-oncology targets. Built on the company's extensive experience optimizing membrane proteins, this platform enables the isolation, characterization, and engineering of MAbs against otherwise intractable targets. The company currently has therapeutic programs focused on cancer, pain, immunity, and metabolic disorders.

About Ono

Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., headquartered in Osaka, is an R&D-oriented pharmaceutical company committed to creating innovative medicines in specific fields, centered on oncology and diabetes. For further information, please refer to the company's website at www.ono.co.jp/eng.