So far, the only treatment available for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. Cambridge biotech ImmusanT aims to reprogram the immune system of a person with celiac disease so they can tolerate gluten.
ImmusanT just raised $12 million in a Series B round for its Nexvax2 drug and diagnostic for celiac disease. The dollars will go toward Phase 2 clinical development of the test, so as to demonstrate proof-of-concept and develop the company’s diagnostic pipeline. The funding came from Vatera Healthcare Partners.
The company just finished up two Phase 1B trials of NexVax2, and has at present confirmed the safety, tolerability and bioactivity of the drug. Phase 2 trials are slated to start in early 2015.
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The company said its adjuvant-free immunotherapy’s made up of three gluten-derived peptides in saline that are responsible for the immune reaction that causes celiac disease.
“We are proud to lead the effort to build a robust clinical development program for this exciting new class of highly selective epitope-specific immunotherapies (ESIT). Vatera’s ongoing support and shared vision have been instrumental in realizing the full potential of our innovative technology,” Leslie Williams, president and CEO of ImmusanT, said in a statement. “Nexvax2 remains the only treatment in development that could eventually allow patients to resume a diet containing gluten and therefore, continues to be of great interest to both celiac disease patients and clinicians.”
