Our Approach

Novel Input Yields Unique Targets & Corresponding Antibody Drugs

We use a unique technical approach based in relevant human biology to very rapidly generate novel, validated, disease-related cell-surface targets along with unique, biologically active monoclonal antibodies for development as drugs against those targets.

Based in Biology | Focused on Function

Based in Biology

• 50% of all drug targets are cell-surface proteins
• Most cancer
   
  Cancer

  A general term used to describe more than 100 different disorders in which cells divide uncontrollably; and may invade nearby tissues and spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body.
  targets are developmental proteins
• The fastest-growing area of cancer treatment is therapeutic
   
  Therapeutic

  An agent used for treating a disease or condition, as opposed to use as a diagnostic or for research.
  antibodies
• Raven raises antibodies to cell-surface proteins
   
  Cell-Surface Proteins

  Proteins that are on the surface of a cell and are exposed in part to the extracellular compartment.
  on novel, proprietary progenitor cell
   
  Progenitor Cell

  A tissue-specific stem cell.
  lines and screens for their ability to kill cancers

Focused on Function

• Our approach allows us to test for cancer killing early in cells and animals
• We are developing models to better predict safety and efficacy of antibodies prior to clinical development
• Rapid path to clinic allows us to focus on the patient

Proteins, as they actually exist and function in the cells of the body—not DNA or RNA—are the targets of essentially all therapeutic agents. It is therefore fundamental to focus on relevant biological function as early as possible in the drug discovery process by obtaining and assessing direct information about the protein

target

 

Target

Molecules, parts of molecules, molecular processes, and constituents of molecular processes that can be affected by a drug. The best targets tend to have the greatest degree of specificity.

itself in the disease tissue of interest. The bedrock of Raven's discovery platform is our ability to generate large panels of monoclonal antibodies directed against cell-surface antigens

 

Cell-Surface Antigens

A chemical group on the cell surface that induces antibody formation; can be cell-surface proteins or, less frequently, sugars or lipids.

present on our proprietary cell lines. We have created proprietary, serum-free media for the selection and growth of each of our proprietary cell lines, which allows these antigen

 

Antigen

Any substance that can be recognized by the immune system and induce the production of antibodies. Antigens include proteins and other molecules on the surface of bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, and other foreign tissues and are the targets to which antibodies bind.

sources to maintain the ability to function in the laboratory just as they function in the body. These unique cell lines provide ideal biological systems for drug discovery by enabling us to see the interaction of the drug and the actual cell, providing us a far more accurate technique for pairing monoclonal antibodies with specific antigens on the cell surface.

From the start, our approach focuses on the whole, intact, biologically active protein in its native form on the surface of whole cells. Functional information relevant to the disease of interest enables us to zero in immediately on proteins that can be modulated as drug targets. By assessing the biology directly and early in the discovery process, Raven eliminates the need to study patterns of gene

expression and pursue the thousands of false leads inherent in a genomics

 

Genomics

Study of the genome, the complete gene complement of an organism. This includes identifying each of the >100,000 genes in the body, and deducing and cataloging the individual components of the genes. Many of the sequences are patented by private companies; others are in the public domain.

discovery approach.

By screening our candidate antibodies against human tumor

tissues, Raven identifies subsets of monoclonal antibodies that exhibit strong reactivity to a variety of solid cancers. We further characterize each monoclonal antibody

 

Antibody

A protein produced and secreted by immune system B cells in response to invasion by foreign agents such as viruses, bacteria, or cancer cells. Antibodies work by binding to a specific target molecule called an antigen.

through a series of experiments that assess its cell surface reactivity, IHC profile on human frozen tissue sections, and in vitro growth inhibitory activity to identify candidates that offer maximum potential for development of targeted therapeutics to fight cancer.