Avacta Group will present detailed data from the first pre-clinical in-vivo studies of Affimer platform which show that its molecules possess the right properties to be used as therapeutics.
The developer of Affimer biotherapeutics and research reagents, said that the results of the two recently announced in-vivo pre-clinical studies, which have now been augmented by further data, demonstrate that Affimer molecules possess key properties required for a drug in terms of efficacy, serum half-life and tolerability, and meaningfully de-risk the development of the technology as a therapeutic platform.
The first, a pharmacokinetics study, demonstrated that Affimer molecules can be produced in formats that remain in the blood stream long enough to have a therapeutic effect (i.e. have good “in-vivo serum half-lives”) and that they are well tolerated (no adverse effects observed) at the clinically relevant doses used in the study.
The second, an efficacy study, shows that the Affimer molecule which blocks the immune-checkpoint PD-L1 in the mouse has a therapeutic effect and produces a statistically significant reduction in tumour growth.
Subsequent analysis of tumour samples has shown that the Affimer treatment causes an increase in the population of immune system T-cells within the tumour mass which is the objective of an effective PD-L1 blockade.
The results are to be presented at PEGS Europe (the Protein and Antibody Engineering Summit) in Lisbon on November 1, 2016.
Alastair Smith, Avacta Group Chief Executive commented: “These results which the Company will present in full for the first time at PEGS, the largest protein and antibody engineering conference in Europe, demonstrate that Affimer molecules possess the right properties to be used as therapeutics. This is the first time that we have undertaken such studies in animal models and it is a hugely important milestone in the development and de-risking of the technology as a therapeutic platform.
“We are further encouraged by the additional data showing the Affimer PD-L1 blockade also caused in increase in immune cell population in the tumour mass further demonstrating the therapeutic effect of the Affimer treatment.
“The Company has made significant progress in the past year, which has only served to strengthen our belief and confidence in the Affimer technology’s potential across therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications.”