Discovery and characterization of olokizumab: a humanized antibody targeting interleukin-6 and neutralizing

Stevan Shaw1, Tim Bourne1, Chris Meier1

  • 1UCB Pharma; Berkshire, UK.

Mabs
|March 28, 2014
PubMed

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a critical regulator of the immune system and has been widely implicated in autoimmune disease. Here, we describe the discovery and characterization of olokizumab, a humanized antibody to IL-6. Data from structural biology, cell biology and primate pharmacology demonstrate the therapeutic potential of targeting IL-6 at "Site 3", blocking the interaction with the signaling co-receptor gp130.