Allele Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals has secured grant from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) unit National Institute of General Medical Sciences to develop nanoantibody (nAb) therapies for sepsis.
The small business innovative research grant will be utilised to formulate new single-domain nAb treatments targeting ‘cytokine storm’, an early inflammatory response in the sepsis pathogenesis leading to dysfunction of vascular endothelial barrier.
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According to the company, monoclonal antibody drugs could not demonstrate meaningful improvements of sepsis mortality rate in clinical trials as the antibodies did not produce significant benefits within relevant time.
To address these challenges, Allele Biotechnology engineered multi-valent and multi-specific nAbs to act against cytokine storms. nAbs are small fragments of antibodies that are stable and easy to produce.
In animal models of sepsis, the structural and functional properties of the nAbs are said to have contributed to their superior therapeutic efficacy compared to traditional antibody drugs.
The company observed that nAbs have a significant capability to penetrate tissues and tumours. These antibodies can also bind certain difficult-to-access epitopes.
Sepsis and septic shock are known to be the primary causes of death in intensive care units.
The global incidence of the condition has only enhanced over the years, while the mortality rate is reported to be virtually unchanged for the past 30 years, as no cure or effective therapies are available.
Allele Biotechnology started nAb research in 2008, and currently generates the antibodies for a variety of devastating diseases such as cancers, inflammation, neurological and ophthalmological conditions.
The company plans to utilise the new NIH funding support for advancing into clinical stage to explore a therapy that reduces death from sepsis.
