Express Potential "first-in-class" therapy! More than $100 million to help bifunctional antibodies enter Phase 3 clinical trials

Recently, Zenas BioPharma announced the completion of a series B financing
of up to $118 million.
The funds raised will be used primarily to advance its lead project, obexelimab, a bifunctional antibody into a global Phase 3 clinical trial to review the efficacy and safety
of this drug in the treatment of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD).
In addition, Zenas will use the funds to drive global clinical development
of the company's other autoimmune disease programs in 2023.

Autoimmune disease refers to the phenomenon in which the immune system, which the body originally used to attack foreign pathogens, mistakenly attacks its own cells as foreign bodies, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage
.
In autoimmune diseases, activated B cells are one of the main factors that attack one's
own cells and tissues.
IgG4-RD is a rare disease
that causes chronic, progressive, inflammatory with fibrosis in a variety of organs.
There are about 20,000 patients
in the United States.
In the organs of the patient, it will be found that the infiltration of tissue lymphocytes, different degrees of fibrosis, and the phenomenon of a large number of plasma cells secreting IgG4, resulting in damage
to tissue and organ functions.
About 51-70% of patients have significantly elevated
serum IgG4 in the acute phase.
The main patient group is middle-aged and elderly men, and glucocorticoids are the first-line therapy for the disease, but these drugs often bring many side effects
.

Image source: 123RF

Obexelimab is a potential "first-in-class" bifunctional antibody
.
This antibody is a modified Fc terminal targeted CD19 monoclonal antibody, which increases the affinity of this antibody with FcγRIIb by 400 times
.
FcγRIIb is a receptor that inhibits the function of B cells, and after obexelimab binds to CD19 antigens on the surface of B cells, its Fc terminal automatically binds to FcγRIIb on the same cell, thereby inhibiting B cell receptor-mediated B cell activation and proliferation
.
Studies have shown that obexelimab can effectively inhibit B cell function without depleting cells, which is very different
from other B-cell targeted therapies.
Early clinical results also show encouraging therapeutic efficacy
of obexelimab in patients with a variety of autoimmune diseases.

A Phase 3 clinical trial of Obexelimab for the treatment of IgG4-RD is expected to begin
in late 2022.

"We are delighted to have the support
of many prominent investors around the world.
We will continue to drive our deep and balanced autoimmunotherapy pipeline into the clinical phase and continue to execute on our successful commercial development strategy
.
" Mr.
Lonnie Moulder, founder and executive chairman of Zenas, said
.

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