Alexion claims to have created first rationally designed antibody agonist via phage.
Alexion Creates First Rationally Designed Agonist Antibody Therapeutic Drug Candidate
Therapeutic Agonist Antibody Accelerated Return to Normal Platelet Levels in Cancer Treatment Model
CHESHIRE, Conn., May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALXN - news) announced today the results of a preclinical study of a new class of therapeutic antibodies that accelerated the return to normal platelet levels in an animal model of bone marrow toxicity commonly found in cancer patients. Antibodies in this new class function as agonists that stimulate their cell target, rather than blocking it, and were created using a rational design and selection process utilizing proprietary technology developed at Alexion Antibody Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alexion.
``This new class of rationally-designed agonist antibodies represents one component of the product candidate pipeline resulting from our ongoing antibody discovery and development initiative directed towards cancer,'' stated Katherine S. Bowdish, Ph.D., President of Alexion Antibody Technologies and Vice President, Antibody Discovery at Alexion. ``The broad utility of the proprietary technology used here should allow us to develop additional therapeutic candidates in oncology and other disease areas.'' Dr. Bowdish presented her findings today at Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Conference on Recombinant Therapeutics: Antibodies and Biomolecules, in Baltimore, Maryland.
This new class of agonist antibody is designed to selectively bind to the c-Mpl receptor on the surface of platelet precursors and then to stimulate platelet-specific proliferation and differentiation both in vitro and in vivo. As presented at the meeting, in preclinical studies, platelet counts were increased 60% in agonist antibody-treated animals as compared to baseline (P<.0001). The lead candidate agonist antibody has been designed to bind to and stimulate the c-Mpl receptor with the same strength as the body's own natural platelet hormone, thrombopoietin. However, this new class of antibodies lack any protein sequences related to native thrombopoietin. This may provide additional therapeutic benefit by potentially eliminating the harmful immune responses that have been observed against native thrombopoietin following the administration of human thrombopoietin. Promotion of platelet formation by an agonist antibody may provide a significant additional therapeutic advantage relative to existing therapies that result in significant and commonly observed cytokine-related adverse effects.
According to published reports, over nine million units of platelets are transfused per year in the United States. Platelet transfusion for anti-cancer drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a frequent occurrence in various types of cancer treatment including leukemia, bone marrow transplantation for varied disorders, and certain solid tumors. In addition to resulting in the increased exposure to blood products, such thrombocytopenia may prolong hospital stay, necessitate additional resource utilization, and be associated with reduced or delayed administration of vital chemotherapy.
``This innovative class of antibodies represents the first candidates in Alexion Antibody Technologies' discovery pipeline to transition towards clinical development at Alexion Pharmaceuticals,'' noted Stephen Squinto, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Head of Research at Alexion. ``Our San Diego-based team has clearly demonstrated their expertise in building an exciting new antibody-based drug pipeline. These drug candidates may benefit high-risk cancer patients with severe and unmet medical needs by potentially reducing the associated dose-limiting, non-specific cytotoxicities of chemotherapeutic regimens. Importantly, we expect to further exploit the potential application of our platform of agonist antibodies which may be directed at a variety of other important unmet medical needs.''
``These results demonstrate an exciting new and creative approach to designer therapeutic antibodies,'' commented Dr. Richard Lerner, President of The Scripps Research Institute and a Scientific Advisory Board Member of Alexion. ``Physicians have long had the ability to hormonally regulate increases in white blood cells and red blood cells, but the ability to increase platelet numbers in a safe and effective way is an important tool that has been missing in cancer therapy. This antibody promises to fill that gap.'' |
