“The competitive funding underlines the innovative potential of our approach to develop HLA-based therapeutics addressing multiple targets via a single fusion protein,” said Sean R. Smith, CEO of ImmunOs Therapeutics AG. “The goal of the consortium is the delivery of OCi, a novel monoclonal antibody to treat immune-mediated inflammatory diseases based on our technology platform. We plan to show our proof-of-concept in spondyloarthritis treatment. OCi will target a causative mechanism of inflammation. It works upstream of all current therapies that only 30-50% of patients respond to.”

“The OCi mAb is a new product with a completely novel mechanism of action ensuring superior safety and efficacy,” said Dr. Osiris Marroquin Belaunzaran, CSO of ImmunOs. “The new antibody is expected to work in a large variety of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases where HLA-OCs trigger disease. The consortium is planning to develop OCi for psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease once we achieve in vivo proof-of-concept in spondyloarthritis.”

Within the consortium, ProteoGenix, a leader in the field of molecular immunology with 50 active antibody development projects and the largest human naïve phage display library available in Europe, will optimize its phage display technology for the HLA mAb development.

“We are thrilled about the opportunity to partner with ImmunOs Therapeutics AG and Amsterdam UMC in this challenging project,” said Philippe Funfrock, CEO of ProteoGenix. “Optimizing our phage display platform for HLA mAb development will certainly serve as a basis for the development of immunotherapies targeting other equally complex inflammatory diseases using completely animal-free approaches.”

Amsterdam UMC is a leading medical centre and translational research institution. The department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology specializes in autoimmune and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Among others, it will contribute its animal model of spondyloarthritis, including know-how on treatment regimens, phenotype/tissue and HLA expression and TCR repertoire analysis and provide access to an internationally recognized pool of KOLs with specific expertise on spondyloarthritis and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

About ProteoGenix

ProteoGenix is a biotech contract research organization (CRO) providing flexible end-to-end solutions for the discovery and development of life-saving biologics, precision diagnostic tools, and robust reagents for research. As a global leader in antibody, protein, peptide, and gene production, ProteoGenix aims at fostering the development of next-generation immunotherapies by leveraging the power of phage display technologies and combining antibody development with a strong focus on developability. For more information, please visit www.proteogenix.science.

About Amsterdam UMC

Amsterdam UMC, merged in 2018 from the Academic Medical Center (AMC) and the VU University Medical Center (VUmc), is a leading medical centre that combines complex patient care, scientific research and education. The 8 research institutes of Amsterdam UMC focus on specializations like Infection & Immunity, Cardiovascular Sciences and Neuroscience. For more information, please visit www.amsterdamumc.com.