IgGenix has made advances towards a peanut allergy therapeutic based on IgG4 monoclonal antibodies.
The company’s research data was presented during the 2023 European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Congress, in Hamburg, Germany.
The data shows that nearly all peanut-specific IgE antibodies discovered from peanut-allergic individuals were high affinity, with many exhibiting double-digit picomolar affinity.
Select monoclonal IgG4 antibodies, re-engineered from human IgE antibodies, were able to inhibit allergic plasma IgE from binding recombinant Ara h 2 in vitro, and also inhibit whole peanut-mediated mast cell and basophil activation.
These IgG4 antibodies have the potential to form the basis of a therapeutic drug candidate exhibiting strong potency and efficacy in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo.
According to IgGenix, this potential new paradigm for food allergy treatment could allow for protection within days of subcutaneous administration without the adverse events and long treatment duration associated with daily allergen administration.
“Peanut allergy is an increasingly prevalent unmet medical need that affects children and adults worldwide. There remains a need for a safe and efficacious therapeutic option with a rapid onset of action that protects against accidental allergen exposure and improves quality of life,” said Derek Croote, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer of IgGenix.
“Through an unbiased human IgE discovery platform, IgGenix has created a powerful foundation from which to generate high-affinity IgG4 antibodies that bind to immunodominant allergens and epitopes on those allergens. These insights provide a potential path to a new standard of care for preventing severe allergic reactions.”
IgGenix uses its SEQ SIFTER discovery platform, developed from foundational research of the co-founders, to isolate and re-engineer fully human, high-affinity, allergen-specific antibodies designed to block and prevent the allergic cascade.
