ADC-1001 is a FIND® optimized interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra)
with enhanced receptor affinity compared to the wild type IL-1Ra protein. It is suitable for the treatment of any IL-1-driven condition.
Alligator Bioscience is seeking partnership with pharmaceutical and biotech companies for the development and commercialization of the program.
Interleukin-1 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist
IL-1 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine and has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis in several inflammatory conditions. IL-1 exerts its inflammatory effect by interacting with its receptor, IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI). IL-1Ra is a natural antagonist of the IL-1RI capable of binding to IL-1RI without inducing cellular activation. Once bound to IL-1RI, IL-1Ra prevents binding of IL-1 to the receptor and thus works as a competitive antagonist.
Medical Need & Market
There is a great unmet medical need for several inflammatory conditions in which IL-1 has been shown to cause or contribute to disease pathogenesis. Some of these indications are rather common with prevalence of 0.5-1% (e.g. RA and gout) whereas others are orphan indications (e.g. juvenile arthritis and cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes).
The ADC competitive advantage
ADC-1001 is expected to have increased potency compared to wild type IL-1Ra (Anakinra). In addition, the therapeutic efficacy of IL-1Ra is expected to be enhanced by an increased circulation half-life. Protein modifications increasing the half-life often result in loss of function. Therefore, ADC-1001 would be an optimal protein for half-life extension, due to its enhanced receptor affinity and inhibitory activity.
Scientific References
E. Dahlen, et al., "Development of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist mutants with enhanced antagonistic activity in vitro and improved therapeutic efficacy in collagen-induced arthritis," J Immunotoxicol. 5(2), 189 (2008).