Company leverages its unprecedented antibody drug discovery and development engine empowered by proprietary single-cell profiling technology to identify, engineer, and evaluate multiple neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – August 17, 2020 – HiFiBiO Therapeutics, a multinational biotherapeutics company focused on the development of novel antibodies for immunomodulation, today announced a collaboration with the Coronavirus Immunotherapy Consortium (CoVIC), a global, academic-industry, non-profit research alliance headquartered at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI). CoVIC was established to accelerate discovery, optimization, and delivery of life-saving antibody-based therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. It has received support from the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, which was launched in March 2020 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard with additional funding from a range of donors.
Using a combination of its proteomics and proprietary single-cell profiling technology, HiFiBiO has developed multiple SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies with the potential for both therapeutic and prophylactic applications. With an aligned commitment to deliver accessible therapies to vulnerable individuals globally, the company has submitted 10 distinct antibodies in the format of mono- or bispecific antibodies to CoVIC for in vitro and in vivo testing. HiFiBiO will gain a first look into the performance of its antibodies compared to dozens of other submitted antibodies and synergies among them for combinational therapies.
“CoVIC is committed to accelerating the product development pipeline to provide immunotherapeutics that protect vulnerable individuals from severe COVID-19 across the globe, especially in regions where health care resources are severely limited,” said Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, Professor at LJI’s Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccine Research and Director of CoVIC. “We are excited to partner with HiFiBiO to include its antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the CoVIC panel that will be analyzed side-by-side in multiple tests to identify optimal immunotherapeutics for COVID-19 patients.”
“We look forward to working with CoVIC to further assess the potential of our neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2,” said Liang Schweizer, PhD, President and CEO of HiFiBiO Therapeutics. “This collaboration is another strong validation of our Drug Intelligent Science platform and our ongoing commitment to working with leading research and academic institutions, as well as pharmaceutical and biotech companies to identify and engineer highly potent and durable antibodies that can address unmet medical needs of patients around the world.”
Additionally, HiFiBiO Therapeutics is preparing an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the US Food and Drug Administration for HFB30132A, a novel SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The highly differentiated antibody has been rapidly identified, engineered, and evaluated in all key preclinical studies, where it has demonstrated outstanding efficacy, exposure, and safety profile. A planned Phase I single-IV administration ascending dose study will assess the safety and tolerability of HFB30132A in healthy volunteers later this summer.
About HiFiBiO Therapeutics
HiFiBiO Therapeutics is transforming the field of immunotherapy by combining proprietary single-cell profiling technologies with advanced data intelligence and deep knowledge of immune system biology. This approach enables the development of novel antibody therapies that are paired with biomarkers to predict patient response. HiFiBiO Therapeutics is working actively to address unmet medical needs around the world through its own innovative pipeline programs and open-innovation partnerships with world-renowned industry and academic researchers. The company’s strong global footprint features cutting-edge laboratories on three continents, in Cambridge, Mass., Paris, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. To learn more, please visit www.hifibio.com.
HiFiBiO® and DIS® are trademarks of HiFiBiO and its affiliates.