Immunomedics Inc. has received a $50,000 small businessinnovation research (SBIR) grant from the National CancerInstitute to research several forms of monoclonal antibodies foruse as agents to detect various cancers.

The Morris Plains, N.J., company received the award inconjunction with its research collaborators at the Garden StateCancer Center in Newark. Immunomedics (NASDAQ:IMMU) willuse the money for research comparing several generations ofmonoclonal antibody-based products.

The research is an early step to developing kits for directlabeling of technetium-99m to bivalent F(ab')2 antibodyfragments, which may allow better imaging in the area of thekidney and quicker blood clearance, said Gary Griffiths,Immunomedics' director of chemistry-radiology.

He added that the research will adapt the technology toantibodies against major cancer types and will also usehumanized forms of some of the antibodies.

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.