HpVac is pleased to announce the success of its fundraising campaign to finance the optimization of its validated frontrunner anti-allergy molecule GBC-R1 and the start of this new phase in its development program.
"We are very lucky and grateful to have obtained financing for this critical phase of the development of our anti-allergy program and are very confident that we will succeed in generating an optimized molecule ready for IND-enabling studies. The unusual origin of our immunomodulatory molecule, identified from the human gut microbiota, which epidemiological studies suggest it protects against numerous allergic afflictions, makes us very confident that we will produce a natural, disease-modifying treatment for these diseases" says Dr. Jeffrey Shaw, CEO of HpVac.
During this optimization phase, variants of GBC-R1 will be produced and tested in cellular assays using both immortalized and primary human and mouse immune cells to optimize the biological and physicochemical properties of the molecule and improve its ease of manufacture. Other properties will also be tested, including thermal stability, off-target biological activities, and pharmacokinetic properties. The outcome of these studies will be the variant with the largest number of desirable and improved properties.
The previous lead validation phase confirmed the capacity of the recombinant version of GBC-R1 to improve lung function in a murine model of allergic asthma in a dose-dependent manner in both preventive and acute settings. GBC-R1 has also been shown protect against food allergy in two mouse models of the disease.
The candidate optimized lead molecule will be thus be tested in three animal models of allergic disease: acute allergic asthma, eczema, and food allergy. Should this candidate molecule be active in all three models, the IND-enabling studies will start, once financing has been obtained for this next phase of the development program.
GBC-R1
HpVac is addressing one of the most significant unmet needs in human medicine: allergic diseases, in particular asthma, both in adults and in children
GBC-R1 is an immunomodulatory protein with strong epidemiological evidence of activity in humans against asthma and other allergic diseases
In the course of her award-winning studies, Prof. Dr. Anne Müller and her team at the University of Zurich have discovered that GBC-R1 alone has a tolerogenic effect that confers protection against several allergic diseases
