UCB Licenses BioWa's POTELLIGENT(R) Technology for Use in Antibody Research and Development

UCB Licenses BioWa's POTELLIGENT(R) Technology for Use in Antibody Research and Development

February 05, 2007

    PRINCETON, N.J. and SLOUGH, England, Feb. 5
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- BioWa, Inc. and UCB (Euronext: UCB),
announced today that they have entered into an agreement
which provides UCB with access to BioWa's patented
POTELLIGENT(R) technology platform for the development of
antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) enhanced
antibodies. The agreement grants UCB non-exclusive rights
to research and develop antibodies for an undisclosed
number of targets.  In return, BioWa will receive license
fees, milestone payments and royalties on products
developed by UCB. Details of financial terms were not
disclosed.

    "We are very pleased that UCB, a company that is
among the worldwide leaders in antibody research, will
incorporate POTELLIGENT(R) as part of its discovery
platform. The signing of this agreement is another example
of the wide acceptance of the technology's potential to
develop better antibodies with enhanced therapeutic
efficacy," said Dr. Nobuo Hanai, BioWa's President and
CEO. "Collaborating with UCB advances the BioWa mission
to significantly aid the development of more effective
targeted treatments for cancer and other life-threatening
and debilitating diseases."

    "We are excited to add the BioWa technology to our
range of options for adapting the structure of our antibody
products to optimally address the therapeutic need,"
said Dr. Neil Weir, Senior VP UCB Research.

    About POTELLIGENT(R) Technology 

    ADCC activity is an important function of the human
immune system, whereby immune cells can kill target cells,
e.g. cancer cells.  Several anti-cancer therapeutic
antibodies that are on the market today have ADCC activity
as one of their mechanisms for the killing of tumor cells.
Enhancement of this activity is one promising approach in
the next generation of antibody technologies.
 
    POTELLIGENT(R) technology involves the reduction of the
amount of fucose in the carbohydrate structure of an
antibody using a proprietary fucosyltransferase-knockout
CHO cell line as a production cell.  Research shows that
POTELLIGENT(R) technology significantly enhances ADCC
activity of an antibody in vitro, thereby increasing the
potential for improved activity in vivo.

    About BioWa, Inc.

    BioWa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo
Co., Ltd., Japan's leading pharmaceutical and largest
biotech company, and is the exclusive worldwide licensor of
POTELLIGENT(R) technology, which creates high ADCC
monoclonal antibodies.  Currently, BioWa is developing ADCC
enhanced monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics to fight
cancer and other life-threatening and debilitating diseases
and both BioWa and Kyowa have POTELLIGENT(R) antibody
products in various clinical stages.   BioWa creates and
develops enhanced ADCC antibodies for itself and others,
offering a full range of antibody discovery and development
capabilities.  For more information about BioWa, visit its
web site at http://www.biowa.com .

    POTELLIGENT(R) is the trademark of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo
Co., Ltd.  All rights are reserved.

    About UCB

    UCB ( http://www.ucb-group.com ) is a leading global
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research,
development and commercialization of innovative
pharmaceutical and biotechnology products in the fields of
central nervous system disorders, allergy/respiratory
diseases, immune and inflammatory disorders and oncology --
UCB focuses on securing a leading position in severe disease
categories. Employing over 8,300 people in over 40
countries, UCB achieved revenue of 2.3 billion euro in
2005. UCB is listed on the Euronext Brussels Exchange.
Worldwide headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.


    For more information, please contact:

    Media: 
     Nobuo Hanai, Ph.D., President & CEO
     BioWa, Inc. 
     Tel:   [phone] x3422

    Investors:
     Martina Molsbergen, VP, Business Dev.
     BioWa, Inc.
     Tel:   [phone] x3430


SOURCE  BioWa, Inc.