Imperial College London and Apollo Therapeutics have developed a new treatment based on a protein target identified in 2015.
Imperial College London is working with Cambridge-based biopharmaceutical company Apollo Therapeutics to develop a prospective monoclonal antibody treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a condition that affects the blood vessels in the lungs. Increased blood pressure makes the heart work harder than normal, causing damage and symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, and light-headedness. The illness affects approximately 8,000 people in the UK.
The potential treatment is based on a protein that was identified in original research by the university and is currently undergoing a proof of concept trial at Hammersmith Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
The partnership between Imperial and Apollo Therapeutics helped translate the basic science into proof-of-concept trials in ten years.
A new model
“Our APL-9796 program is a perfect example of the model we are deploying at Apollo Therapeutics, where we work with academics at the world’s top universities, such as Imperial College London in order to translate their breakthroughs in basic science into new therapies for major diseases,” said Richard Mason, chief executive officer of Apollo Therapeutics.
The prospective treatment (APL-9796) is based on a protein target identified by Imperial researchers in a paper in 2015. Apollo worked with Imperial to translate the target into one of its flagship drug candidates, providing expertise in antibody production and supporting collaborative research with Imperial using animal models. The treatment was the first candidate from Apollo to enter Phase 1 trials and is among the first to enter trials with patients.
The proof of concept trial is expected to return results quickly due to innovative remote monitoring technology pioneered in PAH patients by Alex Rothman at the University of Sheffield that will make it possible to see patient outcomes in real time.
An Orphan Drug Designation from the US Federal Drug Administration will further accelerate progression through trials, and the teams hope to enter later phase trials quickly if results are positive.
