Nature Publishes Preclinical Characterization and Primate Efficacy Data on Junshi Biosciences’ COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibo...
May 26 2020 - 10:11AM
Junshi Biosciences (HKEX: 1877) a leading innovation-driven
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development,
and commercialization of novel therapies, today announced the
publication of research results from the Company’s efforts to
generate therapeutic COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies. The paper,
titled “A human neutralizing MAb targeting the receptor binding
site of SARS-CoV-2” (Shi et al. Nature), was published today in the
journal Nature. Junshi and partner Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:
LLY) intend to file an IND and initiate clinical trials in the U.S.
and China in the second quarter of 2020.
The article reports the identification and
characterization of two specific human monoclonal antibodies (CA1
and CB6) isolated from a recovered COVID-19 patient. While both
antibodies demonstrated substantial neutralization activity in
vitro against SARS-CoV-2, CB6 exhibited superior neutralizing
activities. CB6 reduced virus levels by about 3 logs in rhesus
monkeys when administered one day after infection. When given one
day before viral challenge, CB6 was able to keep viral load at no
more than 103 RNA copies/ml, demonstrating strong prophylactic
protection. Structural studies showed that CB6 recognizes epitopes
in SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain that overlap with angiotensin
converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-binding sites, thereby directly
obstructing virus/receptor interactions. The Fc portion of CB6 was
modified to lower the risk of Fc mediated acute lung injury.
"We have successfully leveraged the Company's
years of expertise with our fully integrated R&D antibody
technology platform, conducting multiple parallel development
tracks of candidate antibodies that were subsequently tested in
vivo infection model by the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese
Academy of Sciences,” said Hui Feng, Ph.D., Junshi Biosciences'
Chief Operating Officer. “One of these candidates, described in the
Nature paper, demonstrated strong neutralizing activity against
COVID-19. We expect to file an IND for this candidate in the second
quarter in collaboration with our partner, Lilly. As part of our
effort to contribute in the fight against this global pandemic, our
company has increased its research and development efforts,
leveraging our strengths in the field of antibody discovery.”
“Lilly is proud to have partnered with Junshi
Biosciences to develop CB6 as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
The fact that CB6 can protect rhesus monkeys from COVID-19
infection suggests a potential for prophylactic use in humans,”
said Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., Lilly’s chief scientific
officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories. “We are
moving as quickly as possible to test such a protective effect in
patients at risk for COVID-19.”
The paper can be accessed on the journal’s
website here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2380-z.
About Junshi Biosciences
Established in 2012, Junshi Biosciences is
committed to developing first-in-class and best-in-class drugs
through original innovation and becoming a pioneer in the area of
translational medicine to provide patients with effective and
affordable treatment options. On December 24, 2018, Junshi
Biosciences was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of
Hong Kong with the stock code: 1877.HK. The Company has established
a diversified R&D pipeline comprising 21 drug candidates with
therapeutic areas covering cancer, metabolic diseases, autoimmune
diseases, neurologic diseases, and Infectious disease. Product
types include monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins, antibody-drug
conjugates, and small molecule drugs. With a combined 33,000L
fermentation capacity in two GMP-facilities at Shanghai and Suzhou,
Junshi has established the manufacturing infrastructure to support
commercialization and provide our partners and patients with
high-quality products through a global supply chain network. For
more information, please visit: http://junshipharma.com.
Contact Information
IR Team: info@junshipharma.com + 86
021-2250 0300
Solebury Trout Michael Levitan
mlevitan@soleburytrout.com +1 646.378.2920
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