US biotechnology company Nona Biosciences announced on Wednesday that it has signed a licensing agreement with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to support its research in B cell development.

Under this agreement UAB, represented by Dr James Kobie, has received a non-exclusive licence to use Nona's H2L2 Harbour Mice platform to develop fully human antibodies. This is intended to enable UAB researchers to pursue breakthroughs in B cell development work.

Dr Jingsong Wang, MD, PhD, chairman of Nona Biosciences, said: "Many transformative therapies originate from academic laboratories. We are excited to support UAB's research efforts. This highlights our commitment to leveraging our antibody discovery technologies to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world therapeutic applications, addressing unmet medical needs and benefiting patients worldwide."

Dr James Kobie, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Infectious Disease at the UAB School of Medicine, added: "We hope -- through our research -- to address fundamental questions about the human B cell receptor repertoire and develop monoclonal antibodies with therapeutic and diagnostic potential for infectious disease and oncology targets."