Therapeutic Areas

INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, naturally elicit strong immune responses. Although these responses may not be sufficient in all people to resist disease — either because the virus overwhelms the immune system or mutates to escape it — Theraclone’s I-STAR™ Technology allows us to identify rare antibodies that could be therapeutically effective.

Our most advanced development program in infectious disease is focused on novel antibodies to fight pandemic and severe seasonal influenza.

Seasonal influenza results in over 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths per year in the United States alone. The toll from a pandemic outbreak could be much higher. Because the virus mutates rapidly, new vaccines must be developed and administered each year and these vaccines are not always effective. Furthermore, strains of influenza have emerged that are resistant to the currently available therapies (e.g. Tamiflu, Symmetrel).

We are currently studying novel antibodies which target elements of the Influenza A virus that are common to all strains. We believe that a therapy developed using these antibodies may be highly effective in treating or preventing influenza.

CANCER

Monoclonal antibody therapy directed at oncology targets represents one of the most successful and promising therapeutic approaches. More than ten monoclonal antibodies, including three blockbuster products (Avastin®, Rituxan® and Herceptin®), have been approved to treat cancer and account for more than $17 billion in annual revenue (2009). Furthermore, fully human monoclonal antibodies are the fastest growing category of antibodies in development due to their predicted high degree of efficacy, favorable safety profile and desirable characteristics for high yield manufacture.

It has been demonstrated that the human immune system generates antibodies that are directed against tumor-associated antigens. However, occurrence of such antibodies is a rare event and only very few are of clinical relevance and therapeutic value.

I-STAR™ enables the discovery of rare antibodies leading to novel epitope and target discovery & characterization and ultimately to the development of fully human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in a variety of oncology indications.

INFLAMMATION AND AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS

Monoclonal antibodies are also promising candidates for treating chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. In patients with these conditions, healthy cells in the skin, joints and other organs are attacked by overactive immune cells which are stimulated and supported by cytokines and pro-inflammatory factors.

Theraclone currently has discovery-stage programs targeting the following pro-inflammatory factors with human antibodies: