Date: 2015-07-02
Type of information: Product acquisition
Compound: anti-CD160 antibody
Company: Elsalys Biotech (France) Mablife (France)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology - Ophtalmological diseases
Type agreement: product acquisition
Action mechanism: monoclonal antibody. Originates from the work of Dr Armand Bensussan (Centre de Recherche sur la Peau, UMR 976, University Paris Diderot, St Louis Hospital) and Dr Philippe Le Bouteiller (Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, INSERM UMR 1043, CNRS UMR 5282, University of Toulouse III), the CD160 receptor is highly expressed on the surface of activated endothelial cells that line the new blood vessels present in most tumours. It is also associated with vascular anarchic proliferation that is found in eye diseases, such as macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy affecting some patients and preterm child’s. In both cases, CD160 helps regulate uncontrolled vascularisation: once bound to its natural ligand, in this case the self molecule HLA-G and HVEM, the receptor which serves as an entry route for the Herpes virus, it activates and triggers the death of activated endothelial • In a retinopathy mouse model, treatment with anti-CD160 restores the vascular circulation of the diseased retina. • In melanoma and fibrosarcoma mice models, anti-CD160 combined with chemotherapy results in a significant reduction in tumour burden and prolonged survival of animals. These benefits are associated with a decrease in the number of intratumoral blood vessels, stabilisation of existing vessels and stimulation of NK cell activity. By selectively triggering the death of new vessels, anti-CD160 differs from existing antiangiogenics,
cells of new vessels. Conversely, existing vessels are stabilised since they fail to express CD160 on their surface. To reduce vascular proliferation (anti-angiogenesis), these scientists have generated and characterised an antibody against the CD160 receptor. This antibody, an agonist, reproduces and amplifies the action of the ligand to trigger the death of new vessels while stabilising existing vessels. Today, the effectiveness of this approach has already been validated in different animal models of eye diseases and cancers:
all aimed at counteracting the effects of pro-angiogenic growth factor VEGF.
Preliminary data has already established the synergistic effect of the anti-CD160 with these antiangiogenics. Ultimately, it could also be an alternative to those treatments whose efficacy varies greatly from one cancer to another and often generate resistance among patients with eye disease.
CD160 is also expressed on the surface of circulating immune cells, such as some NK and T cells subpopulations to which it contributes to modulating the activity. Early studies have shown that anti-CD160 prevents tumour escape by activating Natural Killer cells. Combined with other inhibitors of immunity checkpoints, such as the anti-PD1 antibodies (Nivolumab / Opdivo® by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Penbrolizumab / Keytruda® by Merck), it also helps to prevent T-cell \"exhaustion\".
After an initial antibody format of anti-CD160 with an anti-angiogenic mechanism for ophthalmology, the dual biological action of CD160 thus offers an opportunity to combine through a single target, two mechanisms of action that now dominate the field of
oncology: anti-angiogenesis and immune-modulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses.
Disease:
Details: * On July 2, 2015, Elsalys Biotech, a biopharmaceutical company that designs and develops \"first-in-class\" therapeutic antibodies against cancer and inflammatory diseases, announced the acquisition of the development and marketing rights of the anti-CD160 antibody from Mablife. As the anti-CD160 antibody has shown its efficacy in cancer and eye disease animal models, Elsalys Biotech has already initiated the preclinical evaluation of different humanised versions of this antibody in age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease associated with uncontrolled vascular proliferation. The result of this study, which should lead to the selection of a first drug candidate, is expected in the first half of 2016. The anti-CD160 antibody has a dual mechanism of action: it triggers the death of new blood vessels associated with tumours and certain eye diseases (anti-angiogenic effect) and stimulates the action of immune tumours killers (immunomodulatory effect). This unique dual property has lead Elsalys Biotech to develop two versions of the anti-CD160 antibody: the first (anti-angiogenic effect only) is for the treatment of vascular eye diseases and the second (which combines anti-angiogenic and immunomodulator effects) target cancer.
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