Cambridge Antibody - Senior Managemnt Appointments

RNS No 2829m
CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
16th October 1997
 
              Cambridge Antibody Technology
                            
             Senior Management Appointments
 
Cambridge Antibody Technology Limited (CAT) announces two
significant  new  appointments to its  senior  management
team.
 
Nigel  Burns (BSc PhD) has joined as Vice President  Pre-
Clinical  Development.   He was previously  with  British
Biotech where he was Head of Process Technology.   Before
joining British Biotech he held scholarships in India  at
The Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow and at The
California Institute of Technology in the United  States.
Nigel Burns is 37.
 
Diane Mellett (LLB JD) has joined as Vice President Legal
Affairs  and  will  be  Company  Secretary  of  Cambridge
Antibody  Technology  Group plc.  She  previously  worked
with  Sonnenscheins in both London and Chicago and was  a
founder  member  of  their  London  office.   She  is   a
qualified  solicitor and admitted to  the  Illinois  Bar.
Diane Mellett is 37.
 
Dr David Chiswell, Chief Executive Officer of CAT, said:
 
     "This is another important step in building a strong
     management  team  at CAT.  Nigel  Burns'  experience
     will  benefit CAT significantly as we progress  more
     products  towards  the clinic  and  Diane  Mellett's
     professional background both here and in the  United
     States  will  be  of great value  in  the  Company's
     commercial  development.  We are very  pleased  that
     they are joining us."
 
For further information, please contact:
 
Cambridge Antibody Technology               01763 263233
David Chiswell      Chief Executive Officer
John Aston          Finance Director
 
Ludgate Communications                      0171 253 2252
Andrew Nicolls
Nicola How
 
 
 
Notes to editors:
 
CAT
 
CAT's  business  is  based on a  world  leading  platform
technology  for  the rapid isolation of human  monoclonal
antibodies.  This technology has applications both in the
development of antibody-based human therapeutic  products
and as a drug discovery tool, particularly in the context
of functional genomics.
 
CAT's  strategy is to capitalise on the strength  of  its
platform technology in order to build a diverse portfolio
of  antibody-based human therapeutic products.   Clinical
trials  of  two human monoclonal antibodies developed  by
CAT  have  started in 1997.  Phase I/IIa Trials of  CAT's
anti-TGF beta2 monoclonal antibody in patients with early
proliferative vitreo retinopathy have recently commenced,
and  earlier  this year Phase I/IIa trials of  the  human
anti-TNFalpha monoclonal antibody isolated and developed by
CAT in collaboration with Knoll (BASF) were initiated by
Knoll in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
 
CAT  will  also continue to use its platform technology
as  a  drug  discovery tool, to seek to  secure  licenses
and  collaborative  agreements with other  pharmaceutical
companies,   including   genomics   companies,    thereby
gaining  further access to antibody targets of  potential
therapeutic interest.
 
CAT  has  already entered into a number  of  licence  and
collaborative   agreements   with   pharmaceutical    and
biotechnology   companies.   These  include:   technology
licences   with   Genentech,  Pfizer   and   Eli   Lilly;
therapeutic   antibody  licences   with   Knoll   (BASF),
Knoll(BASF)/Genetics  Institute and Mitsubishi  Chemical;
joint  ventures with Techniclone and ObeSys  (with  BTG);
and a licence agreement with Integra Life Sciences.
 
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