BROMMA, Sweden and TOKYO, Oct. 4, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Affibody AB and Funakoshi Co., Ltd., today announced an agreement in which Funakoshi will promote and distribute Affibody(r) biotechnology products in Japan.
Affibody, a Swedish biotechnology and biotherapy company, and Funakoshi, a leading provider of research reagents and instruments for researchers in life science fields in Japan, today announced an agreement in which Funakoshi will promote and distribute products from Affibody's portfolio of biotechnology research reagents to the Japanese market.
"We are delighted with this distribution agreement, Affibody's exciting new class of affinity ligands complement our range of top quality products and will enable us to meet the high demand for research reagents in Japan," said Dr. Ryoya Funakoshi, President and CEO of Funakoshi Co., Ltd. Torben Joergensen, CEO of Affibody, added: "Funakoshi has an excellent reputation on the Japanese market and we appreciate that Funakoshi Co., Ltd. operates as our distributor as it opens up an important sales channel for Affibody. We look forward to a fruitful and long-lasting cooperation."
About Affibody
Affibody uses innovative protein engineering technologies for the development of affinity ligands for use in Biotherapy and Biotechnology applications. A key component of Affibody's technology is the Affibody(r) molecule, a small robust protein which can be designed to bind to any target protein. Affibody has also developed a proprietary Albumin-Binding Technology, which allows for prolonging the half-life of biologicals as well as evading an immune response.
The Biotechnology division commercializes Affibody(r) molecules for various biotechnology applications such as sample preparation, protein detection methods, in vitro diagnostics and large scale separation of biomolecules. Within its Biotherapy division, Affibody develops therapeutic agents for use in medical imaging, as biopharmaceuticals and for therapeutic apheresis.
Affibody was founded in 1998 by researchers from the Royal Institute of Technology and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Among the owners of Affibody AB are the investment companies HealthCap, Schroder Ventures Life Sciences and Investor Growth Capital. Affibody is based in Stockholm, Sweden and has 50 employees. Further information is found on: www.affibody.com.
About Funakoshi
Funakoshi Co., Ltd. has contributed as a leader to distribute research reagents and instruments for researchers in life science fields since its foundation. The mission of Funakoshi is offering many useful tools with leading edge technologies for Japanese researchers from all over the world to support and develop their research. For more information, visit Funakoshi's website: www.funakoshi.co.jp.