Abzena

Abzena is a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) and contract research organisation (CRO) that works on bioconjugates, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and complex biologics. Companies like this take on outsourced research, process development and manufacturing for drug developers that do not want to build their own specialised labs and plants. Abzena supports customers from discovery through to commercial launch, offering either fully integrated programmes or individual services intended to reduce risk and streamline the development of new treatments.

On the biologics side, Abzena's services include antibody discovery, protein engineering, developability assessment, immunogenicity assays, mammalian cell line development, formulation, process development and cGMP manufacturing for modalities such as monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins and bispecifics. Its bioconjugate work covers ADCs, antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) and radioconjugates (RDCs), as well as linker payload synthesis, complex chemistry, polymers and the handling of highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients. Combining antibody and conjugation expertise matters because an ADC depends on both a well-made antibody and carefully controlled linker and payload chemistry. The company's technologies include ThioBridge for linking drugs to antibodies in ADCs and AOCs, AbZelectPRO for cell line development, and EpiScreen 2.0 for immunogenicity testing.

Abzena has been operating since 2001, and its customers range from emerging and established biotechs and academic groups to global pharmaceutical companies. The company tailors its strategy to each project, with the stated aim of helping biotech and biopharma clients realise the full potential of their molecules. It has research, development and cGMP facilities in San Diego, California, Bristol, Pennsylvania, and Cambridge, UK, giving it development capacity on both sides of the Atlantic.