CDR-Life Tests Potential Drug for Ankylosing Spondylitis

(CONNECT) CDR-Life has announced a new candidate for its M-gager antibody technology platform. According to a press release, the drug in question is CDR209, a novel T-cell engager for the treatment of axial spondyloarthritis. T-cell engagers are a class of engineered bispecific monoclonal antibodies that are currently being studied as anticancer agents. If the new candidate proves effective, it would be “an important step toward expanding our M-gager platform to autoimmune diseases,” CEO Dr. Christian Leisner is quoted as saying. The new drug candidate thus complements the oncology portfolio of the biotech company, which is a member of the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich. Its anti-cancer candidate, CDR404, is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial.

Axial spondyloarthritis is better known in German-speaking countries as Morbus Bechterew. This chronic inflammatory disease primarily affects the spine and the sacroiliac joints. It is typically accompanied by back pain, limited range of motion, and possible stiffness in these joints. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 2.7 million adults are affected. It is true that treatment options have improved in recent years. However, according to the statement, many patients are still unable to adequately manage their condition.

On its M-gager platform, CDR-Life has now developed CDR209, a candidate that targets TRBV9-positive T cells. These specific T cells appear to play an important role in the immune response in many patients. In preclinical studies, CDR-Life has reprogrammed healthy T cells to selectively eliminate these TRBV9 T cells without attacking other cells.

“The selective removal of these cells while preserving the rest of the immune system opens up the possibility of interrupting the disease process at a more fundamental level,” said Denis Poddubnyy, professor of internal medicine and director of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine. "In the long term, the goal is to determine whether such an immunological reorientation can lead to sustained disease control or even to remission without the need for treatment."

Founded in 2017, CDR-Life AG is headquartered in Horgen and is a member of the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich. ce/mm