Absci announces drug candidate ABS-201 for androgenic alopecia and breakthroughs in antibody design using its AI platform.
Quiver AI Summary
Absci Corporation has announced significant advancements in its drug development pipeline during its 2024 R&D Day. The company highlighted the selection of ABS-201, a novel anti-PRLR antibody targeting androgenic alopecia, which has shown promising preclinical results, including superior hair regrowth compared to minoxidil. Absci also introduced ABS-101, an anti-TL1A antibody expected to enter Phase 1 trials in early 2025, and ABS-301, a first-in-class antibody discovered via its AI platform, aiming for a drug candidate selection in the same timeframe. The company is also making strides with ABS-501, designed to target HER2, anticipating candidate selection in 2025. Additionally, Absci achieved a breakthrough in HIV research by de novo designing antibodies that target a difficult epitope within the HIV gp120 protein. These developments showcase Absci's commitment to leveraging AI in creating novel therapeutics for significant unmet medical needs.
Potential Positives
- Announcement of ABS-201 as a novel anti-PRLR antibody for androgenic alopecia targets a substantial market with approximately 80 million individuals in the U.S., indicating significant commercial opportunity.
- Demonstrated improvements in hair regrowth in preclinical models compared to minoxidil highlight the potential efficacy and safety advantages of ABS-201.
- Breakthrough achievement in AI platform with the design of an antibody targeting a challenging epitope in HIV, marking a significant milestone in the development of a universal HIV vaccine.
Potential Negatives
- Timeline for clinical trials, particularly for ABS-201, does not initiate until 1H 2026, indicating a lengthy development process before potential market entry.
- While the press release highlights significant advancements, it does not provide specific financial metrics or partnerships that could support the viability of these developments, raising concerns about commercial feasibility.
- The mention of a "potential best-in-class" treatment for androgenic alopecia could imply that competition in this therapeutic area is fierce, potentially affecting market positioning upon release.
FAQ
What is ABS-201 and its potential use?
ABS-201 is a novel anti-PRLR antibody being developed for treating androgenic alopecia, which affects approximately 80 million individuals in the U.S.
When is the Phase 1 clinical trial for ABS-201 expected to start?
The Phase 1 clinical trial for ABS-201 is anticipated to begin in the first half of 2026.
What breakthroughs has Absci achieved with its AI platform?
Absci has successfully designed antibodies targeting a difficult HIV epitope, aiding potential developments for a universal HIV vaccine.
What are the other drug candidates in Absci's pipeline?
Absci's pipeline includes ABS-101, ABS-301, and ABS-501, each targeting different therapeutic areas with unique properties.
How does Absci's Integrated Drug Creation platform benefit drug development?
This platform accelerates the drug development process by optimizing multiple characteristics simultaneously, increasing success probabilities and reducing time to clinical trials.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$ABSI Insider Trading Activity
$ABSI insiders have traded $ABSI stock on the open market 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 1 have been sales.
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- AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC added 2,490,082 shares (+1919.3%) to their portfolio in Q3 2024
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Full Release
Drug candidate selected for ABS-201, a novel, potentially category-defining anti-PRLR antibody in development for androgenic alopecia
Leading AI platform demonstrated breakthrough in successful
de novo
design of antibody targeting previously difficult-to-drug epitope in the HIV "caldera" region
VANCOUVER, Wash. and NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Absci Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSI), a data-first generative AI drug creation company, today announced updates and progress across its internal pipeline of proprietary Drug Creation programs, as well as new breakthroughs demonstrated by Absci's AI Integrated Drug Creation platform. Absci leadership and a series of distinguished guest speakers will be presenting on these updates today at Absci's 2024 R&D Day.
"Today's updates represent another major step forward for Absci, as we continue to demonstrate our leadership in
de novo
AI antibody design, which is driving significant advancements in our internal and partnered programs," said Sean McClain, Founder and CEO. "We are excited to showcase the target and significant opportunities we see for ABS-201, present new data for ABS-101 and ABS-301, and introduce ABS-501 to our pipeline. ABS-201, a potential treatment for male and female pattern hair loss, represents an opportunity to unlock an entirely new category of therapy for a substantial consumer-driven market with significant clinical unmet need. And as we near the end of 2024, we see next year as an opportunity to reach multiple milestones across our internal portfolio, and maintain a robust pipeline of potential partners across the Pharma and broader healthcare industry landscape."
Speakers and topics to be covered during today's presentation include
:
Absci Leadership
Sean McClain
, Founder & CEO, Absci
Andreas Busch,
PhD
, Chief Innovation Officer, Absci
Zach Jonasson,
PhD
, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Business Officer, Absci
Amaro Taylor-Weiner,
PhD
, Chief AI Officer, Absci
Christian Stegmann, PhD
, SVP Drug Creation, Absci
Guest Presenters
Sir Mene Pangalos
,
PhD,
Biopharmaceutical Executive; Board Director, Absci; Co-Chair, Absci Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Luis Diaz, MD
, Head of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Advisor, Absci
Dr. Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD
, Chief of Division of Hematology and Oncology, UCLA Medicine
Karl Ziegelbauer
,
PhD
, Chief Scientific Officer, Almirall
Dr. Anthony Rossi, MD,
Attending Dermatologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Professor of Dermatology, Weill Cornell Medical College; Advisor, Absci
Mike Jafar
, Medical Aesthetics Executive; Advisor, Absci
ABS-201
ABS-201 is a potential best-in-class anti-PRLR antibody in development for androgenic alopecia, an indication with significant clinical unmet need and a large potential patient population of approximately 80 million individuals in the U.S. alone.
Absci has nominated a drug candidate with preclinical profile suggesting:
High affinity and potency
Favorable safety and immunogenicity
Extended half-life for convenient infrequent dosing
Excellent developability and manufacturability
Preclinical model demonstrates improved hair regrowth compared to minoxidil
ABS-201 has potential to offer a safe option as compared to current standard of care
Anticipate initiation of Phase 1 clinical trial in 1H 2026
ABS-101
ABS-101 is a potential best-in-class anti-TL1A antibody that demonstrates high affinity and potency, ability to bind the monomer and trimer of TL1A, anticipated low immunogenicity, high bioavailability in non-human primates, and potential to be administered subcutaneously with an anticipated dosing interval of 8-12 weeks, or even less frequently.
ABS-101 shows reduced internalization of TL1A complexes in
in vitro
THP-1 immunogenicity tests compared to a competitor molecule with a high clinical anti-drug antibody (ADA) rate.
This suggests a lower chance of developing ADAs in clinical settings, as internalization of mAb:TL1A complexes could contribute to immune activation and ADA formation.
13-week GLP toxicology studies: No treatment-related adverse findings during in-life phase and necropsy were observed; histopathology is pending.
Anticipate initiation of Phase 1 clinical trial in 1H 2025
ABS-301
ABS-301 is a potential first-in-class antibody for an undisclosed immuno-oncology target, discovered through Absci's AI Reverse Immunology target discovery platform.
Expression of ABS-301's target suggests broad potential in squamous cell carcinomas and beyond.
For this program, Absci has optimized an antibody lead with high affinity and potency, and anticipates selecting a drug candidate in 1H 2025.
ABS-501
ABS-501 is a potential best-in-class novel AI-designed anti-HER2 antibody.
Absci has identified lead molecules using its zero-shot
de novo
AI technology with the following characteristics:
Novel epitope interactions
Increased or equivalent affinity to
trastuzumab
in preclinical settings
Efficacious against a
trastuzumab
-resistant xenograft tumor expressing wild-type HER2
Good developability
Anticipate selection of a drug candidate in 2025, and multiple paths for therapeutic development of this program are under consideration.
AI Platform Breakthrough Demonstrated through Collaboration with California Institute of Technology
Absci has achieved a breakthrough by
de novo
designing an antibody that targets a previously difficult-to-drug epitope in the HIV "caldera" region. This breakthrough potentially aids the development of a universal HIV vaccine.
Leveraging its proprietary
de novo
antibody design model
AbsciDesign
, Absci created antibodies targeting a highly conserved and structurally challenging region of the HIV gp120 protein. The "caldera" region, uniquely accessible only in the open conformation of gp120, has remained untargeted by previous broadly neutralizing antibodies.
Preliminary screening data indicates that designs bind clades A, B, and C with selective binding to open conformation. Antibodies from this study will be further experimentally evaluated to confirm fidelity of the
de novo
designed structure and epitope specificity.
Successful creation of these antibodies marks a potential pivotal milestone in HIV vaccine research and underscores the capability of
AbsciDesign
to target conserved epitopes that were previously considered out of reach.
A live and archived webcast of Absci's 2024 R&D Day may be accessed via the company's investor relations website at:
investors.absci.com
.
About Absci
Absci
is a data-first generative AI drug creation company that combines AI with scalable wet lab technologies to create better biologics for patients, faster. Our
Integrated Drug Creation
platform unlocks the potential to accelerate time to clinic and increase the probability of success by simultaneously optimizing multiple drug characteristics important to both development and therapeutic benefit. With the data to train, the AI to create, and the wet lab to validate, we can screen billions of cells per week, allowing us to go from AI-designed candidates to wet lab-validated candidates in as little as six weeks. Absci's headquarters is in Vancouver, WA, with our AI Research Lab in New York City and an Innovation Center in Zug, Switzerland. Visit
and follow us on LinkedIn (
@absci
), X (Twitter) (
@Abscibio
), and
YouTube
.
Investor Contact
Alex Khan
VP, Finance & Investor Relations
investors@absci.com
Media Contact
press@absci.com
