EpiVax, Novozymes agree to develop autoimmune disease treatments

EPIVAX INC. and Novozymes Biopharma have entered into a license agreement for the development of treatments for autoimmune diseases.
EPIVAX INC. and Novozymes Biopharma have entered into a license agreement for the development of treatments for autoimmune diseases.

PROVIDENCE – EpiVax Inc. and Novozymes Biopharma entered into a license agreement for the development of treatments for autoimmune diseases, the companies announced on Monday.

The agreement follows two years of successful feasibility studies and allows EpiVax to use Novozymes’ albumin technologies to develop cutting edge immunotherapies, according to a press release from EpiVax.

EpiVax has identified a set of natural peptide sequences, called Tregitopes, derived from Immunoglobulin G (IgG) that are potent activators of natural T regulatory cells.

The initial application targeted by the Novozymes/EpiVax collaboration will be the development of a recombinant alternative to intravenous IgG treatment, a global market that exceeded $6 billion in 2014.

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Tregitopes will be fused to albumin, a naturally occurring protein that can be found in human blood. Albumin works as a vehicle that transports the therapy throughout the body and increases the lifespan of the therapy. The albumin is produced by Novozymes and known as VELTIS.

“We are delighted to move into a license agreement with EpiVax in this key area of autoimmune diseases treatment,” Peter Rosholm, vice president at Novozymes Biopharma, said in a statement. “In combination with the technologies and know-how EpiVax holds, Novozymes’ VELTIS makes it possible to develop a potential ‘paradigm-shifting’ treatment for autoimmune diseases.”

Tregitopes were discovered in 2008 by the team at EpiVax. The original discovery was published in the journal Blood in 2008.

Tregitopes act as a natural immune system modulator and have been shown in standard preclinical models, and by collaborating laboratories, to suppress and treat autoimmune disease, allergy and to effectively suppress the immunogenicity of co-administered proteins. Research at EpiVax has generated substantial evidence that Tregitopes may explain one of the mechanisms by which intravenous IgG acts to treat autoimmune disease.

“After successful feasibility studies, we now move into the next phase, looking to develop a platform for immunomodulation that will change the way that we treat autoimmune diseases, allergy and transplantation,” Dr. Anne S. De Groot, founder, CEO and chief science officer at EpiVax, said in a statement.

Novozymes is based in Denmark.

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