Los Angeles-based ImaginAb, focused on antibody technology for in vivo imaging, has launched ImaginAb Japan. ImaginAb Japan, headquartered in Tokyo, has been established to better meet the commercial needs of several significant clinical development and partnering opportunities for the company. The subsidiary company will be led by Dr. Shintaro Nishimura.

Dr. Christian Behrenbruch, co-founder and CEO of ImaginAb, said, "The establishment of a Japanese presence for ImaginAb, including leadership from Dr. Nishimura, is an important milestone for the company. Japan is a major market for imaging with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with a substantial and mature clinical installation footprint. We see significant prospects for ImaginAb in Japan, both in the clinical setting but also in collaboration with Japanese biopharmaceutical companies, which have made a significant commitment to the use of molecular imaging in drug development."

"ImaginAb Japan has the unique potential to address the significant market for PET products here, combining ImaginAb's novel imaging agents and an understanding of the Japanese regulatory and market engagement requirements," said Nishimura, executive director of ImaginAb Japan.

ImaginAb's pipeline of imaging agents for prostate, pancreatic and ovarian cancer have the potential to redefine the staging and management of disease that currently face significant challenges in clinical practice. The company's CD3 and CD8 "immunoPET" imaging programs deliver a clearer understanding of the role of immune function and response in a variety of disease settings, including cancer and autoimmune diseases. ImaginAb's internal product pipeline is augmented by approximately 30 target collaborations with global pharmaceutical companies for a variety of cancer, immune/inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease targets.