Kymab

Kymab is a ground-breaking antibody developer that spun out of the Wellcome Trust’s Sanger Institute in 2010. The Cambridge-based start-up was the first to engineer a transgenic mouse with a full set of genes encoding the entire human antibody response – known as Kymouse. This led to the creation of a world-leading library of 100 trillion different antibodies with applications for first-in-class treatments for auto-immune diseases, immuno-oncology, inflammatory disorders, as well as haematology.

Venture capital investment enabled Kymab to fund research and the creation of its proprietary technology, and later establish a clinical development team to advance promising antibody candidates. The company’s pipeline includes a potential first that has been shown to alleviate severe dermatitis, as well as antibodies to combat cancer. Kymab was acquired by Sanofi in 2021 for an upfront payment of approximately $1.1 billion and an additional $350 million upon achievement of certain milestones¹.