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For more information on this press release please contact: |
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Capital MS&L contact: |
Dr Keith Martin |
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6 February 2007, Bristol, UK, Apitope Technology (Bristol) Ltd, the developer of peptide-based vaccine therapies for autoimmune and allergic conditions, announces that it has received regulatory approval to start a Phase I study of its therapeutic vaccine in MS patients. The ATX-MS1467 vaccine is a potentially disease-modifying therapy specifically designed from naturally occurring antigenic proteins to selectively inhibit the immune system’s harmful attack on the body while preserving the normal immune response to infections. The ATX-MS-1467 vaccine contains soluble, synthetic peptides (apitopes) that can reinstate tolerance and decrease the immune response to self antigens. Several investigators in the USA and Europe, and most notably Professor David Wraith, Apitope’s Chief Scientific Officer, have shown that soluble peptides, including those in ATX-MS-1467, can be used to prevent and treat pre-clinical models of hypersensitivity diseases such as MS, Type I diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and allergies. This highly selective immune re-balancing process was recently shown to be linked to the induction of IL-10 secreting regulatory T cells by Apitope scientists. “This is an important milestone in the exceptional progress made by Apitope in the past year,” said Dr. Keith Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Apitope. “It is built on over 15 years of careful research and hard work by the research and development team that we have established at Apitope.” “Receiving approval from MHRA is an important first step in our development of a therapeutic vaccine for MS sufferers,” added Professor David Wraith, Chief Scientific Officer of Apitope and Professor of Experimental Pathology at the University of Bristol. The Phase I study is designed to assess safety and tolerability of ATX-MS-1467. It will be conducted at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol. Apitope plans to begin the patient recruitment in the first quarter of this year and to commence the study in April. END About Apitope Apitope Technology (Bristol) Ltd., is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel vaccines for the treatment of allergy and autoimmune diseases. Apitopes represent a major advance in immune therapy and address critical unmet needs. Founded in 2002, at the University of Bristol by Professor David Wraith and initially funded by Mr Richard Daniels, the company has established itself with an impressive record of commercial and technical achievement through highly qualified management and scientists. |
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