CSL signs deal for new autoimmune disease therapeutic

Biotech leader, CSL has announced a partnership deal to develop and commercialise an autoimmune disease therapeutic developed by The University of Queensland’s, TRI-based Professor Ranjeny Thomas.

• CSL will fund an R&D collaboration and have an option to license the exclusive worldwide rights to develop the ASITI technology in the field of Sjogren’s Syndrome
• The deal harnesses the platform technology developed by Prof Thomas for autoimmune diseases

The deal, brokered by UQ’s technology transfer company, UniQuest, will see CSL working with Professor Thomas on her antigen specific immune tolerance (ASITI) technology for the treatment of Sjogren’s Syndrome.

The autoimmune disease commonly causes dry eyes and a dry mouth and is often associated with other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The ASITI technology developed by Professor Thomas, from UQ’s Diamantina Institute, is based on her discovery that the body’s immune response can be “re-educated” to turn-off, rather than react to self-antigens responsible for autoimmune diseases.

 “Our liposome-encapsulated antigen, DEN-181 for rheumatoid arthritis has been developed to the end of a first-in-human clinical trial,” Professor Thomas said.

“From that clinical trial, we learnt a lot about DEN-181 and its ability to modulate antigen-specific T cells in rheumatoid arthritis patients as well as platform improvements. We are now applying these learnings to the Sjogren’s Syndrome program and our un-partnered preclinical programs, including rheumatoid arthritis and Type 1 diabetes.

“We’ve been fortunate to be able to partner with CSL and utilise their expertise in developing products to treat autoimmune conditions.”

Commenting on the collaboration, CSL Senior Vice President of Research, Dr Andrew Nash, said: “This is another example of Australian research excellence, harnessing the strengths of both industry and academia to address an important area of unmet medical need. This program could lead to an entirely new approach for the treatment of Sjogren’s Syndrome.”

Under the agreement, CSL will fund an R&D collaboration and have an option to license the exclusive worldwide rights to develop the ASITI technology in the field of Sjogren’s Syndrome.

The ASITI technology addresses the immunological cause of autoimmune disease, by re-establishing disease-causing antigen-specific tolerance in patients, without impairing normal immunity and the ability to fight infections. The collaboration with CSL involves the identification of a liposome-encapsulated antigen candidate, and subsequent progression of the lead candidate towards clinical development.

This story was first published by UniQuest.

Photo: Professor Ranjeny Thomas