Abcuro will draw on an oversubscribed series B round to continue the journey of its anti-KLRG1 candidate through clinical trials for a muscle disease and cancers.
Since then, the monoclonal antibody has made it into a phase 2/3 study for the same condition, and Abcuro plans to use some of its new financial firepower to complete the trial.
While other autoimmune-focused biotechs are targeting CD25, CD2, CD52 and ICOS in an attempt to drive the depletion of cytotoxic T cells, Abcuro has stacked its chips on KLRG1. The company’s logic is that KLRG1 expression is restricted to highly cytotoxic late-differentiated effector memory and effector T cells.
Because IBM is driven by T-cell attacks on muscle fibers that lead to loss of hand function and ability to walk, it’s made for a good proving ground for the concept. So far, the bet seems to be paying off, with the company pointing earlier this year to phase 1 data that showed “near complete depletion of blood target cells [that] persisted with repeat dosing.” Still, the real proof will be when the phase 2/3 study begins the efficacy stage in the coming months.
Sanofi was back on board as one of the investors for the series B round, which this time was led by Redmile Group and Bain Capital Life Sciences.
“Support from such a strong group of investors will allow us to complete our development programs in diseases where there are few to no treatment options available,” CEO Alex Martin said in the release.
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