Access Biologicals LLC brought online newly released seroconversion panels that measure the level of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in blood samples, allowing researchers to determine vaccine efficacy. The panels can detect the point when seroconversion occurs and assess the efficacy of a vaccine against new and existing strains of the novel coronavirus. To build the panels, the Vista, Calif.-based company collected blood samples prior to vaccination and after the first and second doses. The plasma was then tested for IgG antibodies to the S1 and S2 spike proteins of the novel coronavirus using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and chemiluminescent assays (CLIA).
Having created a profitable preclinical services business, Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. is now working to develop its own pipeline of antibody therapeutics, recently inking a partnership with China Resources Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to develop drugs for oncology and immunology indications and raising “tens of millions of dollars” in a new financing round to support the development of its antibody drugs.
New preclinical data from Immunome Inc. gets the company closer to the clinic for studying its three-antibody cocktail’s effect on SARS-CoV-2. “We will file an IND this quarter and get into the clinic,” Immunome’s CEO, Purnanand Sarma, told BioWorld. “Since the number of cases is rising, unfortunately, we think a clinical study could be conducted reasonably quickly.”
Aditxt Technologies Inc. enhanced its immune response test for COVID-19 by adding a high-sensitivity neutralizing antibody quantification. With the expansion, the multidimensional test, Aditxtscore, provides a comprehensive measure of the strength of an individual's immune response to the novel coronavirus.
There’s been a mixed bag of data from Astrazeneca plc’s efforts against COVID-19, after data suggested Pfizer Inc.’s rival vaccine is more effective against the Delta variant and the failure of a trial involving its long-acting antibody therapy.
In reporting positive data from a phase III study of sugemalimab in treating stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Cstone Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and Eqrx Inc. have the first anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody demonstrating progression-free survival in patients with concurrent or sequential chemoradiotherapy.
There are now two FDA-backed monoclonal antibody COVID-19 treatments after the agency granted Glaxosmithkline plc (GSK) emergency use authorization (EUA) for single-dose sotrovimab to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and children as young as 12. Vir Biotechnology Inc. collaborated on the program.
A new study by Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (Labcorp) has found that nearly 9 in 10 COVID-19 patients continue to have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 proteins 10 months after infection. Published in The Lancet-affiliated Eclinicalmedicine, the study provides real-world evidence of the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in infected individuals, though the authors said more research is needed to determine if, and to what degree, protection against reinfection persists.
DUBLIN – Numab Therapeutics AG has moved closer to the front rank of European antibody developers by raising CHF100 million (US$111 million) in a series C financing round to accelerate the development of NM21-1480, a trispecific antibody that acts both as a PD-L1 inhibitor and 4-1BB (CD137) agonist. It also contains a human serum albumin recognition group, to extend its circulatory half-life.
LONDON – Antibody prospecting specialist Alchemab Therapeutics Ltd. has raised £60 million (US$82.7 million) in a series A round, to take programs in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer into the clinic.
