Avidia starts new first-in-class study for Crohn's
protein for Crohn's disease as a potential treatment that belongs
to a new class of therapeutic proteins known as Avimer proteins.
The trials represent an exciting potential for new therapies for a difficult -to-treat disease and Avimer proteins are distinguished by much smaller than most therapeutic proteins and antibodies. Their specificity and avidity make them attractive as drug candidates.
The candidate, C326 is a novel protein therapeutic, designed to inhibit the function of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine that stimulates an immune response to trauma and has been shown to play a role in multiple disease indications.
By inhibiting IL-6, C326 is designed to reduce or prevent symptoms associated with autoimmunity and inflammation.
"We believe that C326 may positively impact patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis," said Peter Van Vlasselaer, Avidia's chief executive officer.
C326 represents the first of a number of Avimer therapeutic candidates that we hope to have enter the clinic in the next few years," he added.
The placebo-controlled, single and multiple dose-escalation study is evaluating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic profile of C326 versus placebo in adults with Crohn's disease.
"IL-6 has been shown to mediate the inflammatory response in Crohn's disease and other inflammatory diseases," said Pat Walicke, vice president of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs.
These conditions have few good treatment alternatives and require very careful monitoring of those therapeutic options to achieve management and control of the disease," he said.
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is an ongoing autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, most commonly the small or large intestine.
Symptoms of Crohn's disease may include diarrhoea, frequent bowel movement that may or may not be accompanied by blood and mucous in the stool, gas, bloating, indigestion, pain, cramps and weight loss. As many as 500,000 Americans have Crohn's disease.
Treatment may include drugs, nutrition supplements, surgery, or a combination of these options to control inflammation and nutrition, and relieve symptoms.
Though treatment can help control the disease by lowering the number of times a person experiences a recurrence, there is no cure.
