BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boston Immune Technologies and Therapeutics, Inc. (BITT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel tumor necrosis factor superfamily receptor (TNFSR) antagonist antibodies, announced today the award of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the preclinical development of BITT’s CD40 antagonist antibody. The award for Advancing BITT-101: A Novel Dominant CD40 Antagonist for Use in the Treatment of Sjögren’s Syndrome will help support steps toward an IND filing in 2024.
“The NIH award will accelerate our path to the clinic,” said Russell LaMontagne, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BITT. “We believe our anti-CD40 antibody has novel properties that differentiate it from prior CD40 antagonists, and we anticipate it could have uses in multiple autoimmune indications beyond Sjögren’s syndrome.”
In preclinical studies, BITT antibodies exhibited the ability to deplete B cells and inhibit IgG levels – including a unique ability to selectively deplete activated (CD86+) and younger B cells making early IgM antibodies. This selective action could result in more potent immunosuppressive function at the site of inflammation and reduce the risk of side effects that have limited the clinical development of earlier CD40 antagonists.
About CD40
CD40 is co-stimulatory protein on antigen presenting cells (CD154+). The CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) pathway is a key co-stimulatory pathway for driving T cell-dependent B cell activation and humoral immune responses. This pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome.
About Boston Immune Technologies and Therapeutics, Inc.
Boston Immune Technologies and Therapeutics, Inc. (BITT) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Boston, MA. BITT is developing a novel class of antagonist antibodies targeting TNF superfamily receptors for applications in oncology, inflammation, autoimmunity, and infectious disease based on the company’s DOMab platform. BITT is initiating clinical trials for BIR2101, its lead candidate, which is a monoclonal antibody that targets tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2). BITT is also developing additional antibodies targeting TNF superfamily receptors for indications in inflammation, oncology and infectious disease including a CD40 antagonist that recently completed developability studies and is progressing toward an IND filing. Learn more at: www.bostonimmunetech.com.
