Elusys Enters Into Infectious Disease License and Collaboration Agreement With MedImmune, Inc.
Thursday April 20, 7:45 am ET
MedImmune Ventures to Make Equity Investment
PINE BROOK, N.J., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Elusys Therapeutics, Inc., a developer of targeted anti-infective therapeutics, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with MedImmune, Inc. to develop new therapeutics for select infectious disease targets using Elusys' proprietary Heteropolymer (HP) Antibodies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Elusys will receive an upfront payment, milestone payments as well as royalties on any future marketed products. MedImmune Ventures, Inc., a wholly owned venture capital subsidiary of MedImmune, Inc. will also make an equity investment in Elusys.
HP Antibodies represent a new approach for the treatment of antibiotic resistant infections distinct from traditional antibody therapy. HP Antibodies utilize natural immune system mechanisms to clear pathogens and provide a means to develop novel drug candidates targeted against bacterial, viral and fungal infections. By targeting a unique immune receptor, HP Antibodies enhance a natural clearance mechanism and direct the rapid removal of pathogens from the circulation to tissue macrophages.
"Elusys is delighted to enter into this collaboration to develop HP Antibodies for infectious disease," said Elizabeth Posillico, Ph.D., President & CEO of Elusys Therapeutics. MedImmune's expertise in developing and marketing innovative drugs for treating and preventing infectious diseases, provides Elusys with a great opportunity to deploy our proprietary HP Antibodies, while we internally advance the development of our drug candidates including ETI-211, for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections."
"Our collaboration with Elusys builds on our infectious disease development programs with Elusys' proprietary HP Antibodies," stated Edward T. Mathers, Medimmune's Senior Vice President of Corporate Development. "We look forward to developing potential new treatment and prevention options for a variety of infectious diseases through this new product development initiative."
Under the agreement, MedImmune will combine its expertise in monoclonal antibodies with Elusys' proprietary HP Antibodies to develop new therapies targeting select infectious disease targets. Elusys and MedImmune will conduct a joint preclinical development program, and MedImmune will be responsible for clinical development and worldwide commercialization efforts of any products that result from this collaboration.
About ETI-211
ETI-211 is a proprietary HP Antibody drug being developed to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. In previously reported studies, mice given ETI-211 prophylactically were completely protected against a lethal MRSA challenge. Further, all ETI-211 treated animals survived a second lethal challenge of either MRSA or S. epidermidis months later with no additional drug treatment.
This broad "vaccine-like" protection was found to be due, in large part, to the production of significant levels of antibodies that recognize S. aureus, and S. epidermidis, as a result of ETI-211 treatment during the first infection.
About Elusys
Elusys is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of targeted anti-infective therapeutics using its proprietary HP Antibodies for the treatment of infectious disease. MedImmune Ventures, Inc. joins current venture investors including Essex Woodlands Health Ventures LLC, Invesco Private Capital, Crescendo Ventures, and the Legg Mason Emerald Fund. Elusys is currently raising additional venture capital funds from new investors and existing shareholders.
In 2005, Elusys was awarded $4.4M from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and $1M from the Department of Defense for advanced development of its Anthrax therapeutic, Anthim(TM). To date, the Company has been awarded over $20M from the U.S. Government for the development of novel therapeutics to combat bioterror agents. For more information on Elusys please visit elusys.com.
From the website...
elusys.com
The HP antibody technology offers a unique approach to the management and treatment of infectious disease by utilizing the body’s own natural defense mechanisms that remove and destroy pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses. The HP technology uses a monoclonal antibody specific to a red blood cell receptor (CR1) that is chemically linked to a second antibody that binds a particular pathogen. After administration, the HP drug rapidly binds target pathogens to red blood cells and facilitates their clearance and destruction via liver macrophages. HP drugs are ideally suited to treat immunocompromised patients who typically have low levels of neutrophils and complement, important factors for fighting infection.
The HP technology is based upon principle of Immune Adherence (IA), a natural mechanism for clearance of blood-borne antigens via the red blood cell through a mechanism in which both activation of the complement system and the existence of pre-formed, circulating antibodies against the pathogen are necessary (Figure 1A). Even with both of these components, immune adherence is a very inefficient process.
Figure 1: Mechanism of pathogen clearance by Immune Adherence and Heteropolymers
View the HP Mechanism of Action animation
As shown in Figure 1B, an HP drug is composed of two monoclonal antibodies: one specific for the CR1 molecule on primate RBCs and a second antibody that is specific for the target pathogen or antigen. HP antibodies have been shown experimentally to bind a wide variety of pathogens, bacteria and viruses as well as other targeted proteins in the bloodstream to CR1 receptors and to transfer the pathogens to tissue macrophages in the liver where they are internalized and destroyed by lysosomal enzymes. An advantage of Heteropolymer Antibodies over single monoclonal antibodies alone is that HP drugs do not require lengthy development of antibodies that neutralize pathogen activity, only antibodies with strong binding affinity. Because CR1 is a privileged site on RBCs that has evolved for transport of immune complexes, the RBCs return unharmed to the circulation after cleavage of the CR1-HP-pathogen complex, and continue to perform their normal physiological function. A clinical trial in humans has shown that after a single administration of an HP Antibody for treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), no adverse toxicity or changes in hematological or chemistry parameters was observed .
While 90% of CR1 in humans is found on red blood cells, CR1 is also expressed at high levels on B cells, T cells, neutrophils, monocytes, and follicular dendritic cells. The expression of CR1 on leukocytes and follicular dendritic cells is especially interesting as these cells are known to play important roles in antigen presentation and immune responses. Recent data strongly suggests that an HP Antibody, by its direct binding of pathogens to CR1 receptors, potentiates antigen presentation and acts as a “vaccine” to induce immune responses to pathogenic antigens including bacteria, viruses and cancer antigens.... |
