RoukenBio and AVS Bio Form Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Therapeutic Antibody Development Through Integrated Functional Biology and Discovery Expertise

RoukenBio has entered a strategic partnership with AVS Bio to create a more connected, data‑driven pathway for therapeutic antibody development, combining high‑diversity discovery platforms with deep expertise in functional immunology and in vitro pharmacology. The collaboration is designed to help biopharma teams make earlier, more confident decisions by accessing biologically relevant insights sooner in the development process.

This joined‑up approach brings together AVS Bio’s discovery engine with RoukenBio’s advanced immune cell assays, cell‑based assays, and disease‑relevant functional biology to reduce translational risk and support smarter candidate prioritisation.

Uniting Discovery Diversity with Functional Immunology Depth

AVS Bio provides a broad suite of drug discovery services, spanning single B cell technologies, display‑based workflows, hybridoma generation, and rare‑hit amplification -all engineered to deliver highly diverse antibody panels. These discovery capabilities are supported by advanced computational tools for rapid sequence optimisation and early assessment of developability.

RoukenBio complements this with its specialisation in functional immunology assays, cell assays, and in vitro immunology, using engineered and primary immune cell systems to deeply characterise antibody behaviour. Through immune assays, T‑cell assays, macrophage functional assays, cytokine release assays, and other mechanistic platforms, RoukenBio provides a clear view of downstream signalling, pathway modulation, and context‑dependent responses across key therapeutic areas including immuno‑oncology, inflammation, autoimmunity, and allergy.

A Combined Workflow Designed to Reduce Translational Risk

By connecting discovery‑stage diversity with translational‑grade functional assessment, the partnership offers a seamless workflow from antibody generation to early biological validation. This integrated path helps identify behaviours that are not detectable through binding assays alone.

Both organisations recognise that late‑stage failures often stem from insufficient understanding of mechanism of action. Through combined strengths in preclinical assays, bioanalytical services, antibody characterisation, and cell‑based bioassays, the collaboration aims to reduce uncertainty and support data‑driven progression into preclinical drug development.

Leadership Perspectives

“Too many antibody programmes fail not because of poor discovery, but because candidates are advanced without a sufficiently rigorous understanding of mechanism of action in relevant immune cell contexts,” said Adele Hannigan, Chief Business Officer at RoukenBio. “By partnering with AVS Bio, we are integrating high‑quality antibody discovery with early, mechanism‑driven functional characterisation in complex and primary immune cell systems.”

Ilse Roodink, Chief Scientific Officer at AVS Bio Netherlands, added: “Diversity -across sequence, epitope coverage, and functional behaviour -is essential to identifying the optimal therapeutic antibody. Combining AVS Bio’s capabilities in discovery and optimisation with RoukenBio’s translational profiling strengthens our data‑driven approach and enables more confident decision‑making.”

A More Predictive Route to the Clinic

Together, RoukenBio and AVS Bio aim to provide a more biologically grounded, predictable, and scientifically robust route from early discovery through preclinical research services and IND‑enabling studies. With enhanced integration of cell‑based assays, immunology assay services, and drug development solutions, the partnership equips innovators with stronger functional evidence to progress the most promising candidates.