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iBio Advances Anti-CCR8 Antibody Program to Preclinical In Vivo Testing
– Immuno-oncology candidate discovered using iBio’s AI epitope steering platform – – Expands Treg depletion franchise beyond IBIO-101 – BRYAN, Texas, March
About this update from Ibio, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"– Immuno-oncology candidate discovered using iBio’s AI epitope steering platform – – Expands Treg depletion franchise beyond IBIO-101 – BRYAN, Texas, March 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iBio, Inc. (NYSEA:IBIO) (“iBio” or the “Company”), an AI-driven innovator of precision antibody immunotherapies, today announced the progression of its anti-CCR8 antibody immuno-oncology program into preclinical in vivo testing. CCR8, a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (“GPCR”) family, is expressed by T-regulatory cells (“Tregs”) that play a crucial role in inducing immunosuppression across various cancer types. GPCRs are one of the most successful therapeutic target classes, with approximately one-third of all approved drugs targeting these proteins.1 Compared to small molecule-based GPCR drugs, antibody-based GPCR therapeutics potentially offer several potential advantages, including superior selectivity, extended mechanisms of action, and longer half-life. However, GPCRs are intricate, multi-membrane spanning receptors, making clinically relevant regions difficult to identify and target. iBio employed its patented AI epitope steering platform in the discovery of anti-CCR8 molecules to overcome certain challenges associated with developing antibody-based GPCR-targeting therapeutics. iBio’s anti-CCR8 antibody is designed to selectively deplete Tregs, thereby allowing the immune system to effectively destroy cancer cells, without binding to CCR8’s closest neighbor, CCR4, significantly reducing the potential for adverse effects and safety issues associated with non-selective CCR8 antibodies. Expressing his enthusiasm for the Company's latest pipeline advancement, Martin Brenner, DVM, Ph.D., iBio’s Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, commented, \"Selective targeting of CCR8 shows our patented AI technology can successfully be applied to one of the most important drug target classes, and potentially allows us to pursue a range of other high-value GPCR targets in the future. We are pleased to be able to now move our anti-CCR8 molecules into in vivo testing.\" Dillon Phan, PhD, iBio’s VP and Head of Early Research & Development, added, “We are thrilled to expand our Treg depletion franchise through our new anti-CCR8 program, which complements our existing IBIO-101 program. IBIO-101 is an anti-CD25 antibody designed to ...