HX02: Anti-inflammatory antibody

The immune system is critical for protecting people from infectious agents, but numerous pathological conditions are caused by an over-active immune system. Such conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis, affect millions of patients in the United States alone. Inflammatory activity is induced by hormone-like molecules called cytokines, which activate white blood cells, which in turn damage tissue. Neutralization of cytokines is one of the most effective types of therapy for such conditions. Antibodies and other proteins that neutralize the cytokine TNF-alpha, for instance, are highly effective treatments for these pathologies and already command revenues exceeding US $4 Billion annually.

Humanyx scientists have created a human antibody that neutralizes another cytokine that functions by increasing the production of TNF-alpha and other cytokines. The neutralization of this master regulator cytokine is therefore expected to be even more effective in treating inflammatory conditions than the FDA-approved TNF-alphaneutralizing antibodies, and early clinical trials are already validating this concept.