Theraclone Sciences Announces Identification of New Vulnerable Site on HIV Using Antibodies Discovered with Theraclone Technology
Tags:
HIV
--Study Published in Immunity in Collaboration with The
Scripps Research Institute and IAVI--
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Theraclone Sciences, Inc., a therapeutic antibody discovery and development company, today announced the publication of data in the May issue of Immunity regarding antibodies with significant potency and breadth against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The study, titled “Broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies define a novel glycan-dependent epitope on the pre-fusion conformation of gp41 on cleaved envelope trimers,” describes a set of recently isolated human monoclonal antibodies that target a region of HIV that differs from the epitopes recognized by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) discovered previously.
The work, conducted in collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), expands upon the isolation and characterization of other bNAbs discovered by these collaborative institutions.
The bNAbs were discovered using Theraclone’s I-STAR™ technology. I-STAR leverages the ability of some humans to naturally resist certain diseases and rapidly examines their immune memory cells for antibodies with exceptional biological activity.
“I-STAR has demonstrated significant potential in the hunt for antibodies that broadly neutralize HIV. In particular, one of the Theraclone antibodies discovered under our collaboration with IAVI and Scripps was recently shown to completely suppress HIV in simian models of disease,” commented Kristine Swiderek, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Theraclone. “We are optimistic that these antibodies will contribute to the creation of an HIV vaccine that could be used prophylactically and therapeutically.”
IAVI holds the rights to develop HIV vaccines based on these antibodies, while Theraclone maintains the rights to develop therapeutics.
About Theraclone Sciences
Theraclone is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel, monoclonal antibody therapeutics for diseases that are devastating for patients and their families and which are a significant threat to human health. Theraclone leverages its proprietary antibody discovery technology, I-STARTM (In-Situ Therapeutic Antibody Rescue), to identify rare fully human antibodies, from immunologically relevant human subjects, that may be developed into antibody product candidates that are potentially safer and more effective than current therapies, or that address an unmet need. With a primary focus on cancer and infectious disease Theraclone has a portfolio of innovative antibody programs at preclinical and clinical development stage targeting serious medical conditions with a significant unmet medical need including:
Theraclone is a privately held company having antibody discovery collaborations with Pfizer, Zenyaku Kogo and IAVI, and venture investment from ARCH Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, Healthcare Ventures, MPM Capital, Amgen Ventures, Versant Ventures and Alexandria Real Estate Equities. For additional information, please visit www.theraclone-sciences.com.
Contacts
MacDougall Biomedical CommunicationsMichelle Avery, 781-235-3060orDoug MacDougall, 781-235-3060
MacDougall Biomedical CommunicationsMichelle Avery, 781-235-3060orDoug MacDougall, 781-235-3060
