Date: 2012-02-13
Type of information: Grant
Company: Effimune (formerly TcL Pharma) (France) and the TRIAD consortium
Investors:
Amount: €3 million
Funding type: grant
Planned used: The grant will support the TRIAD projet. The project\'s main objective is to preclinically evaluate a selective CD28 antagonist for the prevention, treatment and/or cure of several autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, uveitis and arteriosclerosis.
Others: The French biotech company Effimune has signed a funding agreement with the European Commission for its Tolerance Restoration in Autoimmune Diseases (TRIAD) project. As part of the sixth call for proposals under the European Union\'s FP7-HEALTH-2011 programme (with emphasis on the development and validation of new therapies in autoimmune disorders and inflammation), TRIAD has been selected to receive a total of €3 million in funding over a 3-year period.
The TRIAD project is based on an innovative but well-characterized antibody-based approach for the treatment of autoimmune disorders. The project\'s main objective is to preclinically evaluate a selective CD28 antagonist for the prevention, treatment and/or cure of several autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, uveitis and arteriosclerosis. Rather than suppressing the immune system as a whole, this novel approach suppresses only those parts of the immune system responsible for the autoimmune attack, while sparing and enhancing regulatory T cells. Co-stimulation through the CD28/B7/CTLA-4 molecular triad controls the balance between effector and regulatory functions after initial antigen exposure. A drug candidate based on CD28 antagonism would enable very specific immunosuppression and would be compatible with regulatory T cell function, immune regulation and therefore the induction and restoration of immune tolerance. In other words, this type of treatment should be less aggressive for patients than current treatments with an impact on the immune system as a whole.
The TRIAD project will start by studying the preclinical efficacy and safety of a novel, selective CD28 antagonist (FR104). Success at this stage will enable Effimune to initiate Phase I/II clinical trials in patients.
The TRIAD consortium comprises Effimune and six academic institutions: INSERM and Nantes University Hospital in France, Oxford University and Glasgow Caledonian University in the UK, the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands and Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein in Brazil.
Therapeutic area: Autoimmune diseases
