BioInvent to Produce CAN10, Cantargia’s Antibody for Scleroderma, Under New Deal

Cantargia‘s antibody CAN10, intended to treat people with scleroderma and myocarditis, will be produced by BioInvent under the terms of a new manufacturing agreement, the two companies announced.

The investigational therapy is currently in preclinical studies. Cantargia hopes to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial in early 2022, the company said.

“We are very excited to start working with BioInvent to advance our CAN10 program towards clinical trials as quickly as possible,” Göran Forsberg, CEO at Cantargia, said in a press release.

“Based on Bioinvent’s deep antibody knowledge and recent investments in manufacturing capabilities, we are confident in efficient and timely manufacturing of CAN10,” Forsberg said.

CAN10 is a monoclonal antibody designed to specifically block the activity of the interleukin 1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP), thereby suppressing signals from three important pro-inflammatory molecules, called interleukin-1 or IL-1, IL-33, and IL-36.

The IL-1 family, composed of 11 signaling molecules, plays a key role in inflammation. Research has shown that several of these molecules are involved in immune activity and fibrosis (scarring) in scleroderma.

CAN10 was selected from a set of more than 100 anti-IL1RAP molecules that Cantargia has developed. Data from preclinical research indicated that the potential antibody therapy had a potent and unique anti-inflammatory effect in mice.

Under the agreement, BioInvent will be responsible for the development and for scaling-up production of CAN10 to be used in toxicological studies, as well as clinical grade material for Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. Most of this work is expected to be done next year, according to Cantargia, a company that focuses on cancer and inflammatory diseases.

With the development of CAN10, BioInvent may generate revenue of up to 30 million SEK ($3.5 million).

“We are pleased to add Cantargia to our growing list of manufacturing customers, which is a clear testament to our expertise in state-of-the-art antibody manufacturing and the quality of our processes,” said Martin Welschof, CEO of BioInvent.

In its development of potential treatments, BioInvent uses a screening technology called F.I.R.S.T, which identifies targets and the antibodies that bind to them. According to the company, the platform enables the investigation of antibody binding in both diseased and healthy tissue, so that researchers can select antibodies and targets that are unique to diseased tissue.