Due to its dual role in adaptive immune responses, modulation of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is considered a potential strategy to both boost cancer immunotherapies or reduce self-antigen generation in the context of autoimmune diseases.
Candid Therapeutics Inc. and Epimab Biotherapeutics Inc. have entered a $1 billion research collaboration to discover and develop novel T-cell engager candidates for autoimmune indications.
Candid Therapeutics Inc. has entered into a number of collaborations aimed at advancing its pipeline of T-cell engagers (TCEs) for autoimmune diseases. The company will be collaborating with Epimab Biotherapeutics Inc., Ab Studio Inc. and Nona Biosciences.
Cancer and autoimmunity are “often thought of as being at opposite ends of the immune response,” Ana Anderson told her audience at a joint meeting of the NIH’s Office of Autoimmune Disease Research and Office of Research in Women’s Health earlier this month. Cancer, that line of reasoning goes, arises when the immune system is not good enough at recognizing harmful autoantigens. Autoimmunity arises when it is hypervigilant, mistaking harmless autoantigens for problematic ones and going on the attack.
Cyrus Biotechnology Inc. has reported data on its engineered IdeS (IgG-degrading enzyme of S. pyogenes) protease for IgG-driven autoimmune disease, showing potent activity on repeat doses in a rabbit redosing model while eliciting no anti-drug antibodies.
Seismic Therapeutic Inc. has provided preclinical data for S-4321, a novel dual-cell bidirectional (DcB) PD-1:FcγRIIb antibody being developed for the treatment of autoimmune disease.
During a busy day of dealmaking, Cour Pharmaceutical Development Co. Inc. entered a pact with Roche Holding AG’s Genentech unit to advance tolerogenic nanoparticle treatments for an autoimmune disease indication, garnering up to $940 million in up-front and milestone payments. Cour’s partnership with Genentech is its biggest to date, and the largest deal announced by a biopharma company on Dec. 3. A total of seven deals amounted to a combined single-day deal value of $3.67 billion.
Kyverna Therapeutics Inc. has presented details on the development and preclinical characterization of KYV-102, an autologous fully human anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy developed for diseases driven by B cells, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), among others.
To address limitations with CAR T therapies targeting CD19, Allogene Therapeutics Inc. has developed ALLO-329, a CD19/CD70-targeting CAR therapy that is able to deplete activated alloreactive lymphocytes, while endowing dual targeting of CD19+ B cells and CD70+ T cells.
Seismic Therapeutic Inc.'s S-1117 was designed as a pan-IgG protease fused to an effector function silent human IgG1 Fc domain. The candidate, being developed for the treatment of autoantibody-mediated diseases, was engineered for chronic subcutaneous administration using a proprietary machine learning-enabled platform, with the aim of reducing immunogenicity while maintaining potency.
