Erbitux™ originated from the University of California in the 1980s – during the infancy of biotech. It is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that competes with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) binding on the surfaces of cancer cells, which impedes tumour growth, by preventing EGFR activation. Erbitux embarked on its somewhat controversial and uncertain path of development in 1993, when the University of California entered into an agreement with ImClone Systems for exclusive rights to the antibody.