Preclinical Data Demonstrate Potential Application of Anti-Siglec-15 Treatment in Bone Disease
September 05 2023 - 4:05PM
NextCure, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTC), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing
novel, first-in-class immunomedicines to treat cancer and other
immune-related diseases, today announced the presentation of
preclinical data demonstrating that treatment with NC605, a novel
anti-Siglec-15 (S15) antibody, reduced bone loss and enhanced bone
formation and quality following immobilization in an experimental
animal model of acute spinal cord injury (SCI), at the 2023
Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS).
Following spinal cord injury, patients typically suffer rapid
and extensive bone loss. While anti-resorptive therapies have shown
some efficacy in inhibiting bone loss, these agents also inhibit
bone formation. In preclinical testing, NC605 has been shown to
prevent bone loss by inhibiting osteoclast maturation and bone
resorption by binding S15, which is expressed on the cell surface
of immature osteoclasts and upregulated in differentiated
osteoclasts. Unlike anti-resorptive therapies, NC605 enhances
osteoblast recruitment, resulting in overall enhanced bone
quality.
NextCure identified NC605 while screening S15 antibodies for
anticancer properties. Further characterization revealed that a
distinct group of S15 antibodies without anticancer properties had
the ability to inhibit osteoclast maturation and thus may have use
in treating bone disease.
“The data presented highlight the encouraging potential of using
anti-S15 antibodies to treat patients who lose bone due to spinal
cord injury,” said Solomon Langermann, Ph.D., NextCure’s chief
scientific officer. “With no practical interventions currently
available, there is a substantial unmet clinical need for
therapeutics that can address bone loss due to immobilization,
particularly in Veterans and other military personnel who have
experienced spinal cord injury. Development of novel treatments
offers the potential for significantly improved quality of life in
this patient group, as well as in patients with other conditions
associated with bone loss due to severe immobilization, including
Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatological
diseases.”
In the animal model of spinal cord injury, bone mineral density
(BMD) was assessed and compared to control animals. Key findings
from the study include:
- Treatment with anti-S15 antibody completely prevented loss of
BMD in the femur and tibia.
- High-resolution imaging analysis revealed almost complete
prevention of trabecular bone volume loss.
- Blood and bone structure analyses revealed that the anti-S15
antibody was able to greatly inhibit bone resorption while
maintaining bone quality.
- Ex vivo analysis showed increased numbers of osteoblasts as
well as increased levels of mRNA encoding osteocalcin and bone
sialoprotein (BSP), markers of bone formation and integrity,
demonstrating a unique ability of the antibody to reduce osteoclast
formation and bone resorption while promoting osteoblast
recruitment to maintain bone integrity.
The data were generated in collaboration with Dr. Weiping Qin,
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The data were presented in
a poster presentation by Dr. Qin at the 2023 Military Health System
Research Symposium.
Title: Development of a Novel Therapeutic,
anti-Siglec-15 Antibody, to Reduce Bone Loss and Enhance Bone
Integrity after Acute Spinal Cord Injury-induced
ImmobilizationAbstract ID: MHSRS-23-09452, Board
#259
About NextCure, Inc.NextCure is a
clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering
and developing novel, first-in-class immunomedicines to treat
cancer and other immune-related diseases. Through our proprietary
FIND-IO™ platform, we study various immune cells to discover and
understand targets and structural components of immune cells and
their functional impact in disease in order to develop
immunomedicines. Our focus is to bring hope and new treatments to
patients who do not respond to current cancer therapies, patients
whose cancer progresses despite treatment and patients with cancer
types not adequately addressed by available
therapies. http://www.nextcure.com
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
StatementsStatements made in this press release that are
not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Words such as
“expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “hope,” “forward” and similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Examples of forward-looking statements in this press release
include, among others, statements about NextCure’s plans,
objectives, and intentions with respect to the discovery of
immunomedicine targets and the discovery and development of
immunomedicines. Forward-looking statements involve substantial
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement.
Such risks and uncertainties include, among others: our limited
operating history and no products approved for commercial sale; our
history of significant losses; our need to obtain additional
financing; risks related to clinical development, including that
early clinical data may not be confirmed by later clinical results;
risks that pre-clinical research may not be confirmed in clinical
trials; risks related to marketing approval and commercialization;
and the unproven approach to the discovery and development of
product candidates based on our FIND-IO platform. More detailed
information on these and additional factors that could affect
NextCure’s actual results are described in NextCure’s filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”),
including NextCure’s most recent Form 10-K and subsequent Form
10-Q. You should not place undue reliance on any
forward-looking statements. NextCure assumes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements, even if
expectations change.
Investor InquiriesTimothy Mayer, Ph.D.NextCure,
Inc.Chief Operating Officer(240) 762-6486IR@nextcure.com
NextCure (NASDAQ:NXTC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
NextCure (NASDAQ:NXTC)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024