Boehringer Ingelheim has put up 407.5 million euros ($478 million) in biobucks to secure global rights to a first‑in‑class antibody Immunitas Therapeutics is developing for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Immunitas, which raised a $58 million series B round in 2021, has used cash from organizations including Novartis’ and Bayer’s venture arms to advance an anti-CD161 antibody into the clinic as a treatment for solid and hematological cancers. Expanding its focus, the company studied (PDF) the potential for an anti-CD161 antibody to selectively deplete cells that drive autoimmune diseases.
Boehringer’s press release only discusses the licensed program at a high level, with the drug candidate’s target a notable omission. The preclinical candidate is designed to “selectively target cells that play a central role in driving chronic inflammation, with the goal of achieving sustained disease control for patients who do not respond adequately to current therapies,” Boehringer said.
The German drugmaker contrasted Immunitas’ targeting of pathogenic cells at the sites of inflammation with the traditional approach of blocking individual inflammatory signals. Other companies have hit on similar ideas. Evidence that CAR-T cell therapies drive durable improvements in hard-to-treat lupus patients by depleting disease-causing B cells has fueled a surge of interest in the approach.
Related
The B-cell depleting pipeline has expanded beyond cell therapies, with UCB’s recent $2 billion takeover of Candid Therapeutics a testament to the level of interest in applying T-cell engagers to the problem. Last year, Boehringer paid CDR-Life $48 million upfront for rights to a trispecific T-cell engager designed to treat autoimmune diseases by depleting B cells.
Boehringer’s statement about its latest deal lacks details of the specific cells targeted by the candidate. Immunitas’ publicly disclosed drug candidates target T cells. While B-cell depleting drug candidates are plentiful, Immunitas is part of a small pack of companies aiming to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases by targeting T cells.
Abcuro’s anti-KLRG1 antibody ulviprubart is designed to selectively deplete T cells to treat autoimmune diseases. The drug candidate recently failed a phase 2/3 clinical trial, but Abcuro still planned to meet with the FDA to discuss the next steps for the program.
