Leiden, The Netherlands, August 16, 2002 - Dutch antibody and vaccine company Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL) today announced a cooperative agreement with The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, USA to conduct research on therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies for treatment of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH).

Crucell has identified a panel of fully human monoclonal antibodies that bind to LCH cells. Under the terms of the agreement, the SKCCC at Johns Hopkins will validate these antibodies in its proprietary LCH models.

 

"Johns Hopkins has unique expertise in the field of LCH. Through this collaboration, we hope to contribute to the development of new treatments for this rare condition," said Dr. Ton Logtenberg, Chief Scientific Officer of Crucell.

 

LCH is a rare and sometimes fatal condition that most commonly affects young children. It arises when histiocytes, cells normally found in the body, collect in abnormally large numbers. There is significant need for improved therapeutics for LCH, since the conventional treatment of steroids and chemotherapy is unpredictable and is often associated with severe side effects. Monoclonal antibodies are expected to be more efficacious and less toxic than the current therapies available. 

 

About Crucell

Crucell discovers and develops biopharmaceuticals that use the human immune system to combat cancer, infectious diseases and other conditions.  Crucell leverages its patented technologies, MAbstract(TM), AdVac(TM), and PER.C6(TM), for discovery, development and production of antibodies and vaccines.  Crucell offers its technologies to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and also uses them to create its own product pipeline.  Partners include Merck & Co. for the HIV vaccine, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the Ebola vaccine and Centocor, a Johnson & Johnson company, for the CD46 antibody for treatment of various types of cancer.  In addition, Crucell has over 20 licensees for its PER.C6(TM) technology.  These include Novartis, GSK, Aventis and Schering AG.  With headquarters in Leiden, The Netherlands, the company currently employs 200 people.  Crucell is listed on Euronext and NASDAQ (ticker symbol CRXL).  For more information visit www.crucell.com.

 

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