Kirin Brewery Company, Limited has closed on the acquisition of substantially all of Hematech, LLC on July 18, 2005. After the deal, Hematech has become a subsidiary of Kirin.
Through this acquisition, Kirin has acquired Hematech's core technology and research infrastructure for production of bovine-derived human polyclonal antibodies. As a result, Kirin will hold Hematech's rights primarily related to polyclonal antibody production, along with the development and marketing rights already held by Kirin.
Human antibody-producing cows, containing full-length human antibody genes, are expected to prove useful for the development of a range of human antibody-based drugs. In 1999 Kirin and Hematech entered into a research collaboration agreement on the development of human antibody-producing cows. In 2002 Kirin made use of a proprietary human artificial chromosome vector to introduce human antibody genes into bovine cells and, using Hematech's technology, created cows capable of producing human antibody proteins and bovine antibody proteins. Subsequently, Kirin and Hematech have progressed to developing cows that can efficiently produce human antibodies.
Kirin has already successfully developed a human antibody-producing mouse, and has formed a strategic alliance with US company Medarex, Inc. to commercialize this technology on a global basis. Whereas human antibody-producing mice are used for the development of monoclonal antibodies, human antibody-producing cows will be used for the development of large quantities of polyclonal antibodies, which are expected to contribute to the development of treatments for viral or bacterial infections, autoimmune disorders, and other medical conditions.