Medarex Inc, announced the initiation of a multicenter, single-dose, dose-escalation, 32-patient Phase I clinical trial for MDX-1100, a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting the chemokine IP-10 (CXCL10), for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. IP-10 is involved in the migration of activated T-cells and monocytes to sites of inflammation, and is believed to be associated with the pathogenesis of a variety of autoimmune disorders and inflammatory diseases.

Preclinical studies have already demonstrated that antibodies that target and neutralize IP-10 attenuate disease progression in animal models of ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. Data from the Phase I trial are expected in the second half of 2006.

Medarex gained intellectual property rights related to IP-10, and full rights to MDX-1100, as a result of its acquisition in August 2004 of Ability Biomedical Corporation, a privately held Canadian biotechnology company. Medarex and its partners now have in human clinical testing 23 fully human antibody therapeutic products (including anti-TNF-α, anti-IL-12 and anti-IL-15 for autoimmune and anti-inflammatory indications) derived from Medarex technology, with two products in Phase III trials.