INDUSTRIAL IMPACT, DIAGNOSTICS
businesswire | March 23, 2023
AbCellera and RQ Bio announced today that they have entered into a strategic collaboration to identify optimal clinical candidates for up to three infectious disease targets selected by RQ Bio, including influenza and cytomegalovirus (CMV). The partnership aims to provide long-lasting infectious diseases medicines to high-risk patients by bringing together RQ Bio’s expertise in infectious diseases and viral evolution with AbCellera’s discovery engine for finding rare, highly potent antibodies.
“We believe antibody therapies have an important role to play in protecting the most clinically at-risk populations from infectious diseases,” said Carl Hansen, Ph.D., founder and CEO of AbCellera. “AbCellera’s discovery engine complements RQ Bio’s capabilities and provides a technology advantage that we believe will help bring new medicines for infectious disease to patients faster.”
“Both RQ Bio and AbCellera have proven track records in developing infectious disease medicines that have a rapid impact on vulnerable patients,” said Hugo Fry, CEO of RQ Bio. “We look forward to working with AbCellera to quickly advance our pipeline of infectious disease medicines for people who are at risk of severe disease or death from viral infections.”
Under the terms of the agreement, RQ Bio has the right to develop and commercialize therapeutic antibodies resulting from the collaboration. AbCellera will receive research payments and is eligible to receive downstream clinical and regulatory milestone payments and royalties on net sales of products.
About AbCellera Biologics Inc.
AbCellera is breaking the barriers of conventional antibody drug discovery to bring better medicines to patients, sooner. AbCellera’s engine integrates expert teams, technology, and facilities with the data science and automation needed to propel antibody-based medicines from target to clinic in nearly every therapeutic area with precision and speed. AbCellera provides innovative biotechs and leading pharmaceutical companies with a competitive advantage that empowers them to move quickly, reduce cost, and tackle the toughest problems in drug development.
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MEDTECH, INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Businesswire | May 31, 2023
ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. an AI-driven biotherapeutic research and technology company, announced that its subsidiary, BioStrand®, has successfully solved the Information Integration Dilemma (IID) by developing a unique technology design that enables their patented HYFT Technology to encapsulate and unify diverse data modalities - including syntactical (sequence) data, 3D structural data, unstructured scientific information (e.g. scientific literature), and beyond - into a singular, integrated framework.
This breakthrough approach facilitates efficient data fusion, enabling a comprehensive analysis and interpretation of complex biological data. With HYFTs, BioStrand effectively addresses the IID, paving the way for quicker and more potent biological discoveries. This innovation has the potential to bring a paradigm shift in various domains including drug development, biomarker discovery, and the study of disease pathology, among others. The IID has long been a significant challenge for the biotechnology industry, as researchers and investors have grappled with the complexities of integrating various data types to gain meaningful insights. In the rapidly evolving field of biotechnology, data is generated from multiple sources such as scientific literature, experimental data, and genomic information. The integration of these different data types is critical for accelerating innovation and driving the discovery of novel therapeutics. However, traditional approaches have struggled to efficiently combine and analy ze this diverse data, often leading to incomplete or inaccurate conclusions. BioStrand's breakthrough approach leverages its patented HYFT® technology and LENSaiTM platform, which together enable the efficient analysis and understanding of complex biological data. By solving the IID, BioStrand has unlocked new possibilities for the discovery and development of novel therapeutics, which is expected to benefit both patients and the investor community.
Dirk Van Hyfte, Co-Founder and Head of Innovation of BioStrand, said, "We are thrilled to have overcome the Information Integration Dilemma, which has long been a major hurdle in our industry. Our HYFT technology and LENSai platform are now poised to revolutionize the way researchers and AI-driven systems process and analyze complex biological data, ultimately leading to faster and more effective drug discovery and development."
BioStrand's HYFT technology extracts unique patterns, known as Universal Fingerprint™ patterns, from the entire biosphere, and integrates them with various data sources, such as scientific papers and medical records. The resulting Knowledge Graph encompasses over 660 million HYFTs and more than 25 billion relations, providing a powerful resource for researchers and AI-driven analysis. The LENSai platform, powered by HYFT technology, takes advantage of the latest advancements in large language models (LLMs) to bridge the gap between syntax (sequences) and semantics (functions). This enables the platform to extract valuable insights from vast amounts of data, without the limitations of traditional LLMs. IPA's support of BioStrand's pioneering work reinforces its commitment to investing in cutting-edge biotechnology solutions with the potential to transform the industry. The successful resolution of the Information Integration Dilemma not only demonstrates the innovative nature of BioStrand's technology but also highlights the Company's dedication to improving the lives of patients worldwide.
About ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd
ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. has several subsidiaries in North America and Europe including entities such as Talem Therapeutics LLC, BioStrand BV, ImmunoPrecise Antibodies (Canada) Ltd., and ImmunoPrecise Antibodies (Europe) B.V. The IPA Family is a biotherapeutic research and technology group that leverages systems biology, multi-omics modeling, and complex artificial intelligence systems to support its proprietary technologies in bioplatform-based antibody discovery. Services include highly specialized, full-continuum therapeutic biologics discovery, development, and out-licensing to support its business partners in their quest to discover and develop novel biologics against the most challenging targets.
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INDUSTRIAL IMPACT, DIAGNOSTICS
Vaxxinity, Inc. | March 21, 2023
Vaxxinity, Inc. a U.S. company pioneering the development of a new class of immunotherapeutic vaccines, announced that the first subjects have been dosed in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 clinical trial of VXX-401, an investigational vaccine designed to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a known factor contributing to heart disease, by targeting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 serine protease (PCSK9). Heart disease remains the leading cause of death globally, claiming over 18 million lives per year, despite the existence of approved treatments that lower LDL.
“This is an exciting milestone for VXX-401 and Vaxxinity in our pursuit to vaccinate the world against heart disease with a preventative option that is convenient and accessible, addressing an unmet need to combat the leading global cause of death,” said Mei Mei Hu, Chief Executive Officer of Vaxxinity. “PCSK9 antibody therapies are well-tolerated and effective, but huge unmet patient need remains. In order to solve the problem of heart disease, the world needs a scalable, accessible technology that can reach the hundreds of millions, if not billions of people at risk. With an LDL-lowering vaccine we can potentially offer an option that’s cost-effective, safe, convenient, long-acting, and deployable.”
The multicenter Phase 1 dose-escalation trial aims to enroll 48 subjects aged 18 to 75 years, with LDL cholesterol between 2.59 and 4.89 mmol/L. The objectives of the trial are to evaluate safety, tolerability and immunogenicity (as measured by serum anti-PCSK9 antibody titers). Pharmacodynamics of the immune response will be measured by LDL cholesterol levels, an established model of PCSK9 inhibition in hypercholesterolemia.
“We’re excited to get this first-in-human trial of VXX-401 started. The concept of a vaccine for cholesterol could be a game-changer in cardiovascular health due to its potentially very broad reach and impact on human health,” said Professor Stephen Nicholls of Monash University and Victorian Heart Hospital in Australia. “Targeting PCSK9 with a monoclonal antibody is a proven and effective approach for lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Despite the availability of statins and the approval of PCSK9-targeting medicines, there is still a need for new therapies. VXX-401 has the potential to extend the use of PCSK9 inhibition to the full population who could benefit.”
Earlier this month, Vaxxinity presented pre-clinical data at the American College of Cardiology/World Congress of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session demonstrating that VXX-401 induced robust anti-PCSK9 antibodies and durable LDL cholesterol lowering without affecting high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, indicating that VXX-401 has the potential to be a safe and effective LDL lowering therapy. Data in non-human primate studies show that VXX-401 was well tolerated and provided durable and significant LDL reduction of 30% to 50% change from baseline. The data also demonstrate VXX-401’s immunogenicity: purified antibodies from immunized animals bound to human PCSK9 with high affinity, and exhibited a dose-dependent functional inhibition of PCSK9 in vitro. Additionally, Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) collected prior to immunization did not release cytokines upon stimulation with various components of the vaccine, suggesting that VXX-401 may safely overcome immune tolerance.
About VXX-401
VXX-401 was designed using Vaxxinity’s proprietary synthetic peptide vaccine platform and is being developed for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. The platform is designed to harness the immune system to convert the body into its own natural “drug factory,” stimulating the production of antibodies. VXX-401 is designed to induce robust, long-acting antibodies against PCSK9 in order to lower LDL cholesterol.
About Vaxxinity
Vaxxinity, Inc. is a purpose-driven biotechnology company committed to democratizing healthcare across the globe. The company is pioneering a new class of synthetic, peptide-based immunotherapeutic vaccines aimed at disrupting the existing treatment paradigm for chronic disease, increasingly dominated by monoclonal antibodies, which suffer from prohibitive costs and cumbersome administration. The company’s proprietary technology platform has enabled the innovation of novel pipeline candidates designed to bring the efficiency of vaccines to the treatment of chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, migraine, and hypercholesterolemia. The technology is also implemented as part of a COVID-19 vaccine program. Vaxxinity has optimized its pipeline to achieve a potentially historic, global impact on human health.
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