BioWorld International Correspondent

LONDON - Avidex Ltd. licensed an antigen associated with Type I diabetes, opening the way to a new approach to treating the disease through immunotherapy.

Although the antigen is present in the pancreas of a substantial proportion of patients with Type I diabetes, it is expressed intracellularly. That means that it cannot be targeted by monoclonal antibodies, as they are able only to lock onto antigens on the cell surface.

Avidex's soluble monoclonal T-cell receptor (mTCR) technology is able to target intracellular antigens. The Oxford-based company has proved that concept in up-regulating the immune response, as the basis of cancer immunotherapeutics.

Neill MacKenzie, chief business officer of Avidex, told BioWorld International, "This is a completely novel approach. Until now there have been no immunotherapeutic approaches for diabetes using targets that lead to the specific protection of islet cells."

Type I, or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system turns on itself and destroys insulin-producing beta cells. Currently there are no ways of preventing or curing the disease, which is managed with insulin injections.

Avidex will use phage display to generate an mTCR with high specificity for the antigen, which was discovered by researchers at King's College London. That then will be fused with a cytokine that is able to down-regulate the immune response, with the objective of blocking the cascade that leads to the destruction of beta cells.

"The new approach makes it possible to target immune modulation to where it is needed," MacKenzie said.

There already is some external interest in the product, but Avidex expects to take it through to Phase II.

"We are saying we are not ready to sell yet," MacKenzie said. "Normally, with cancer products you are flogging around forever. With diabetes there are no biologicals out there so this is attracting interest."