- Financing led by Bioqube Ventures and Novo
Holdings
- Commit is pioneering a novel approach to activating the
complement component of the immune system to treat cancer
and autoimmune diseases
- Its unique bispecific technology (BiCE™) engages
the complement system, unleashing its power to selectively kill
target cells
- Spin-out from Aarhus University in Denmark, a world leader in complement
structural biology
AARHUS,
Denmark, May 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Commit
Biologics ("Commit"), a pioneer in the activation of the complement
system to treat cancer and autoimmune disease, today exits from
stealth with €16m in seed funding from Bioqube Ventures and Novo
Holdings.
Commit plans to accelerate development of its Bispecific
Complement Engaging (BiCE™) platform, which uses single domain
antibodies that bind to the complement protein C1q to activate the
complement system, a fast-acting and potent part of the innate
immune system. BiCE™ is a modular system that can arm
antibodies to direct the complement system in a highly targeted
way, so that it selectively kills cancer cells or immune cells that
drive autoimmune diseases.
Commit is a spin-out from Aarhus University in Denmark, which has built a global reputation
as a center of excellence in complement system biology over the
last three decades. The Company was initially incubated and
supported by the BioInnovation Institute in Denmark.
Krishna Polu, MD, Chief
Executive Officer of Commit Biologics, said: "This
financing from Novo Holdings and Bioqube Ventures validates our
pioneering approach of engaging and activating the complement
system for therapeutic purposes. Our BiCE™ platform gives us the
ability to engage the complement system so that it attacks targeted
cells in a highly selective manner. This platform also means we can
use established antibodies, which cuts development times and
reduces risk, to develop best-in-class therapeutics. This is a
novel way of harnessing the immune system to tackle cancer and
autoimmune disease, and we are confident in the tremendous
potential it offers."
Jeroen Bakker, Partner at Novo
Holdings, said: "With over 30 years of academic rigor from
leaders in the complement field behind it, Commit is now unlocking
the potential of the complement system to transform the fight
against cancer and autoimmune diseases. The team has an incredible
track record of domain expertise, and we look forward to working
with them to support them on their journey."
Roderick Verhelst, Principal
at Bioqube Ventures, said: "We believe Commit is doing
something truly novel in the field of complement and advancing a
technology with a multitude of therapeutic applications. Through
its direct engagement of the complement system, this
BiCE™ technology is a best-in-class approach for complement
activation. The ability to arm conventional antibodies with potent
complement activators for the development of targeted cell killing
therapeutics is also a very attractive way of accelerating and
derisking product development."
Commit's uniquely engineered and highly specific approach to
triggering the complement system is expected to have a wide
therapeutic index and broad applicability. BiCE™ technology is
modular and active across multiple tumor-associated and target
antigens. This approach to activating the immune system can be used
in conjunction with other mechanisms of action, such as T-cell
directed therapies or other targeted treatments. While antibody
drug conjugates, T-cell engagers and CAR-Ts have made important
advances in recent years, these approaches can be limited by
toxicities, specific target density considerations, and - with
T-cell directed therapies – T-cell exhaustion. The BiCE™ technology
can potentially address these limitations to enable the development
of effective therapeutic options for the treatment of cancer and
autoimmune diseases.
About Commit Biologics
Commit Biologics (Commit) is a pioneer in activating the
complement system to kill specific target cells, with applications
in cancers and autoimmune diseases. Spun out of Aarhus University, and building on more than
three decades of research, Commit's Bispecific Complement Engaging
(BiCE™) platform can supercharge a conventional monoclonal antibody
to activate the complement system more effectively. This is
achieved by combining single domain antibodies that engage C1q, the
starting point for the complement activation cascade, with an
antibody that binds to a cellular target. The modular
approach of the BiCE™ technology can be used to develop
therapeutics across multiple tumor-associated antigens and immune
cell targets. Complement is a largely untapped aspect of the body's
natural immune system that leverages both the direct cytolytic
activity of complement along with its ability to bridge recruitment
and activation of both innate and adaptive immune cells – a new
approach to killing cells which can be used in combination or on a
standalone basis. Commit is backed by major investors including
Bioqube Ventures and Novo Holdings.
About the complement system
The complement system is part of the body's immune system that
has previously been largely untapped therapeutically. The
activation of the classical complement pathway, which has a role in
health for pathogen defense, begins with the engagement of C1q to
antibodies that coat the cell surface and ends with the activation
of a cytolytic complement complex directly leading to cell lysis.
However, current monoclonal antibodies developed for therapeutic
purposes have structural restraints that hinder effective
engagement to C1q, thus limiting complement mediated cytotoxicity
and other complement mediated effector functions. This, plus the
presence of natural cell bound complement inhibitors that are
upregulated in cancer, and low target densities, make conventional
therapeutic antibodies poor complement activators. Commit's BiCE™
technology was developed to overcome these barriers, to harness the
power of the complement system and direct it towards tumor and
immune cells for therapeutic applications. Unleashing this power in
a highly targeted way with Commit's technology potentially allows
for a broad therapeutic index and the development of highly
effective treatments.
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commit-biologics-launches-with-16m-seed-financing-to-pioneer-complement-system-activation-to-treat-cancer-and-autoimmune-disease-302140034.html
SOURCE Commit Biologics