Ligand Pharmaceuticals acquires Ab Initio Biotherapeutics, antigen-discovery company for $12m. Ab Initio brings to Ligand a patented antigen technology that is synergistic with Ligand’s therapeutic antibody discovery platform. This new technology will provide Ligand’s current and potential new partners enhanced capabilities for the discovery of therapeutic antibodies against difficult-to-access cellular targets. "The Ab Initio technology is highly complementary to our OmniAb platform. Antigen generation is a required step in the antibody discovery process and some targets are very complex with the initial work of antigen design and preparation being difficult. By bolting on the proprietary antigen technology, Ligand will be able to more fully meet the needs of our partners,"John Higgins, Chief Executive Officer of Ligand.