Overview
Ablynx is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of Nanobodies®, a novel class of therapeutic proteins based on single-domain antibody fragments, for a range of serious and life-threatening human diseases, including inflammation, haematology, oncology and pulmonary disease. Today, the Company has over 25 projects in the pipeline and seven Nanobodies in clinical development.
To date, Ablynx has generated Nanobodies against more than 235 different disease targets and has characterised potent antagonists in vitro against 38 different targets. The Company and its collaborators have obtained positive in vivo efficacy data from animal studies in eight major therapeutic programmes in five disease areas.
Ablynx’s in-house lead programmes in the clinic, ATN-103, ALX-0081+ALX-0681, and ALX-0061 are in Phase II clinical development. ATN-103, is a subcutaneously administered, half-life extended Nanobody targeting TNF-alpa. In May 2011, it achieved positive clinical proof-of-concept in a Phase II study in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. ALX-0081 and ALX-0681 are Nanobodies targeting von Willebrand factor (vWF), delivered intravenously (ALX-0081) and via a subcutaneous injection (ALX-0681), and are being evaluated in patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). ALX-0061 is a half-life extended Nanobody that binds with high affinity to IL-6 receptor, both the soluble and membrane-bound form. It is currently in Phase II clinical trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Ablynx’s fourth clinical development programme, ALX-0141, has recently completed Phase I trials. ALX-0141 has been developed to inhibit bone loss associated with post-menopausal osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and certain drugs.
ALX-0651, an anti-CXCR4 (anti-GPCR) Nanobody, for use in stem cell mobilisation, is Ablynx’s fifth internal clinical programme and has recently entered Phase I clinical trial.
Ablynx’s sixth Nanobody in clinical development is ATN-192 (formerly known as PF-05230905), and Phase I results are expected during the first half of 2012.
Finally, in December 2011, a Phase I study with the first inhaled Nanobody, ALX-0171, was initiated. ALX-0171 has the potential to be a first-in-class therapeutic to treat respiratory syncytial viral infections (RSV).
In parallel with its internally developed products, Ablynx has ongoing research collaborations and significant partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck Serono, and Novartis. Ablynx is building a diverse and broad portfolio of therapeutic Nanobodies through these collaborations.
Ablynx has a strong and broad IP position and is the only company in the world with rights in the field of therapy and diagnosis under the granted US and European patents that describe the composition of matter of Nanobodies (the “Hamers patents”), representing a distinct and unique position in the complex field of antibody-derived therapeutics. Nanobody® is a registered trademark of Ablynx NV.