Alchemab Therapeutics has teamed up with the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to identify and develop therapeutic antibodies to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Using Alchemab's technology platform, the two will analyse patient samples from diagnosed individuals with slow rates of disease progression — allowing them to identify antibodies associated with disease resilience.
The biopharma company has gathered hundreds of samples from patients with ALS, increasing the likelihood of identifying some promising candidates.
Under the terms of the agreement, Alchemab and Lilly will work together to discover, develop and commercialise up to five new therapeutics for this indication.
Alchemab will receive an upfront payment from Lilly, which may be followed by both milestone and royalty payments depending on the success of the project.
The unmet needs amongst the ALS patient population
ALS is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease which currently has no cure. Early symptoms include muscle stiffness, weakness and twitching, which eventually result in difficulties speaking, swallowing, walking and breathing.
From onset to death, the average life expectancy currently stands at two to four years, with only 10% of those with the disease surviving more than 10 years post-diagnosis.
This poor prognosis highlights the urgent need for therapeutics that can improve quality of life and reduce disease progression.
Alchemab’s CEO, Jane Osbourn, commented: “We have shown that our novel, differentiated antibody discovery platform can lead to insights into how an individual’s immune response can generate potent, selective and unique antibodies with therapeutic potential."
"Guided by patients’ biological response to disease, Alchemab’s platform yields both novel targets and potential therapies in one process. ALS is a devastating disease and an area of significant unmet medical need. Our collaboration with Lilly enables us to apply our novel approach to a hugely important disease in partnership with one of the most respected names in pharma. We are looking forward to working together to discover and develop novel targets and therapies for ALS patients.”