On January 8, 2021 ATP, a leading life sciences venture capital firm, and Biolojic Design, a biotechnology company that computationally designs functional antibodies, reported that unveiled Aulos Bioscience, a new company that is developing highly differentiated interleukin-2 (IL-2)-binding monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics against solid tumors (Press release, ATP, JAN 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234573705]). ATP has committed $40 million in Series A funding to advance Aulos’ lead molecule from preclinical stage through clinical proof of concept, with human trials expected to start later this year.
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"ATP created Aulos with Biolojic to develop antibodies with unique properties that we believe hold best-in-class promise among IL-2 targeted therapies," said Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of and venture partner at ATP. "Biolojic has designed elegant and impressively simple molecules that redirect IL-2 to low-affinity effector T-cells away from high-affinity regulatory T-cells by binding to the body’s own IL-2, steering it away from immune suppression and towards immune activation. Other drug candidates that redirect IL-2 fail to target naturally occurring IL-2 and introduce complex, modified, exogenous versions of IL-2 that are often difficult to manufacture and can have unfavorable pharmacokinetic properties. We think that the advantages of the Aulos approach could enable us to deliver a new mainstay in fighting multiple cancers."
Yanay Ofran, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Biolojic Design and acting CEO of Aulos Bioscience, said: "We are excited to partner with ATP to bring our unique computationally designed antibodies to patients. Biolojic’s AI-based platform designs mono- and multi-specific human antibodies that target pre-determined epitopes with exquisite precision and execute functions previously not carried out with antibodies. These capabilities are illustrated by the Aulos anti-IL-2 antibody approach, which has the potential to fully unlock the power of the patient’s own IL-2. We see Aulos as an opportunity to dramatically change the cancer treatment landscape. Moreover, we believe this will be the first ever computationally designed antibody to enter human trials."
Aulos Bioscience will be based in Cambridge, MA. The company’s Board of Directors is chaired by Dr. Ehlers and includes as members Dr. Ofran; Yechezkel Barenholz, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School who is known as an innovator of therapeutic applications of liposomes and nanomedicine, notably as a co-inventor of Doxil (doxorubicin); Joseph A. Yanchik III, a venture partner at ATP and founder of companies including Aileron Therapeutics and Tokai Pharmaceuticals (now Novus Therapeutics); and Raj Chopra, FRCP, FRCPath, FRSB, Ph.D., an ATP venture partner, former director of the Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, and co-founder of Monté Rosa Therapeutics.
Dr. Ehlers and Dr. Ofran will present more information about Aulos Bioscience at the 39th annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Thursday, January 14, 2021. The live stream is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:25 am EST. A link to the webcast will be available on the Aulos website at aulosbio.com.