Avacta reveals positive results from Affirmer studies

The AIM-traded company said the results meaningfully de-risk the development of the technology as a therapeutic platform, and demonstrate that Affimer molecules possess good drug-like properties in terms of efficacy, serum half-life and tolerability.

Two parallel in-vivo preclinical studies have been completed, with the first - a pharmacokinetics study looking at both human and mouse PD-L1 Affimer inhibitors engineered as Fc fusions - showing that Affimer molecules have good in-vivo serum half-lives and are well tolerated at the clinically relevant doses used in the study.

The second was an efficacy study using a mouse PD-L1 specific Affimer molecule in a syngeneic tumour model.

In that study the Affimer PD-L1 inhibitor produced a statistically significant reduction in tumour growth demonstrating the bioavailability and functionality of the Affimer molecule in tumours in-vivo, and no adverse effects were observed.

“These results demonstrate that Affimer molecules possess good -in-vivo drug-like properties in terms of efficacy, serum half-life and tolerability which is a hugely important milestone in the development and de-risking of the technology as a therapeutic platform,” said Avacta Group CEO Alastair Smith.

“From the initial screening process for the Affimer binders we have been able to rapidly progress to evaluating them in in-vivo models, highlighting another major advantage of the technology.

“We are very encouraged by these initial positive results and will continue to focus on developing both our internal and partnered therapeutic programs towards clinical validation,” Smith added.