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Equillium Announces Preclinical Data from New Orally Deliverable Multi-Cytokine Inhibitor in Presentation at the 18th Annual Peptide Therapeutics Symposium
LA JOLLA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Equillium Inc. (Nasdaq: EQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutics to treat
About this update from Equillium, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":" LA JOLLA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nEquillium Inc. (Nasdaq: EQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, today announced a presentation at the 18th Annual Peptide Therapeutics Symposium highlighting EQ302, a second generation orally deliverable multi-cytokine inhibitor in development to target IL-15 and IL-21. The symposium, bringing together leaders in peptide research from academia and industry to focus on advances in core technology pertinent to peptide-based drug discovery and therapeutic candidate development, is taking place October 16 and 17 at the Scripps Seaside Forum in San Diego, California.\n\n\nTitle: Peptide Stapling for Better Stability & Oral Delivery\nPresenting Author: Adrian J. Giovannone, Ph.D., Associate Director, Translational Science & Early Development at Equillium\nDate and Time: Live for the entire conference beginning at 9:30 am PT on Monday, October 16\n\n\nThe presentation outlines the origins of EQ302 from its parent peptide, EQ102, which was originally modeled from the D-helix of the IL-2 family of cytokines and binds directly to CD132 to inhibit the signaling of IL-15 and IL-21. Stable peptide derivatives of EQ102, including EQ302, are being developed by adding hydrocarbon staples to confer proteolytic resistance and increase stability in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract while retaining cytokine inhibitory properties, making it a potential candidate for clinical testing in a variety of GI diseases via oral administration.\n\n\nEQ302 was administered to mice via oral delivery in a pre-clinical formulation designed to enhance permeability of the intestine. Following oral administration to mice challenged with human IL-15, small intestinal tissue was harvested and shown to contain significant amounts of EQ302. To demonstrate the local efficacy of the peptide, IL-15-induced Interferon-gamma (IFNγ) levels within the intestinal tissue were measured and shown to be significantly decreased in EQ302-treated animals versus vehicle control animals.\n\n\nThe data illustrates that:\n\n\n\nAdding hydrocarbon staples to a peptide can confer increased stability in the GI tract while retaining its cytokine inhibitory properties.\n\n\n\nUtilizing a pre-clinical formulation for enhanced epithelial permeability, EQ302 ac...