This biotech company develops synthetic antibodies to treat and prevent HIV infection. Their novel approach involves creating resistance products that bind to the virus, offering a new therapeutic avenue for patients.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
HIV's rapid mutation rate allows it to evade natural antibody responses, making it difficult for the immune system to control the virus and posing significant challenges for traditional vaccine development. Current treatments require ongoing intervention and may not provide a functional cure.
Solution
Emmune is developing eCD4-Ig, a synthetic antibody designed to neutralize all strains of HIV by targeting the CD4 and CCR5 receptors that the virus uses to infect T cells. This novel approach aims to provide long-term protection and potentially a functional cure for HIV. eCD4-Ig can be administered as a recombinant protein therapeutic or delivered via adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector for sustained expression in vivo. AAV-expressed eCD4-Ig has demonstrated durable protection against SHIV infection in preclinical studies with rhesus macaques, offering a potential one-time therapeutic intervention for lifelong treatment and prevention of HIV infection. The company is also developing off-switches for AAV vectors to control the therapeutic gene expression.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes individuals at risk of HIV infection, people living with HIV, and healthcare providers seeking advanced therapeutic and preventative options.
Features
- eCD4-Ig: A synthetic antibody that binds to the CD4 and CCR5 receptors on T cells, blocking HIV entry.
- AAV vector delivery: Enables sustained in vivo expression of eCD4-Ig after a single injection.
- Broad-spectrum activity: Designed to neutralize all known strains of HIV.
- ADCC enhancement: eCD4-Ig promotes antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, enhancing the killing of HIV-infected cells.
- Off-switch technology: Developing reversible RNA on-switches to control gene expression of AAV-delivered therapeutics in vivo.
- Demonstrated protection: AAV-expressed eCD4-Ig has shown durable protection against multiple SHIV challenges in preclinical studies.