Financing round led by Mass General Brigham Ventures and Sanofi Ventures Proceeds to support advancement of the lead autoimmune program into clinical development, as well as further development of the company’s pipeline Newton, MA, January 7, 2021– Abcuro, Inc., a … Read More
KLRG1 – A Compelling Clinical Target in Immune Modulation
Abcuro is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer through precise modulation of effector cytotoxic T and NK cells. These cells can be specifically targeted as they express the receptor KLRG1 (killer cell lectin-like receptor G1).
In certain autoimmune diseases, KLRG1-expressing T cells are a major source of chronic tissue damage. In oncology, tumor cells that express E- or N- cadherin inhibit anti-tumor activity of T and NK cells because E- and N-cadherin bind to KLRG1 and KLRG1 functions as an immune checkpoint inhibitory receptor.
KLRG1 was identified as a compelling clinical therapeutic target through Abcuro’s bioinformatic analyses of clinical databases, as well as patient tissue and pathological immune cell transcriptome analyses.
KLRG1: One target, two mechanisms, multiple indications
KLRG1 is a transmembrane receptor. Its ligands are E- and N-cadherin, markers of epithelial and mesenchymal cells, respectively.
Unlike other targets for T cell depletion, KLRG1 expression is restricted to pathogenic, late-differentiated T and NK cells. These KLRG1+ cells are cytotoxic in both autoimmune diseases and in a broad range of cancers.
For patients with inclusion body myositis (IBM), muscle tissue is damaged by KLRG1+ cytotoxic T cells. In the tumor microenvironment, KLRG1 acts as an inhibitory immune checkpoint receptor, interacting with E- and N-cadherin to inhibit the anti-tumor activity of cytotoxic T and NK cells.
LATEST NEWS
Abcuro Granted Orphan Drug Designation for ABC008 for Inclusion Body Myositis
Inclusion body myositis (IBM)is an autoimmune condition in which cytotoxic T cells chronically attack muscle cells, leading to progressive weakness and severe disability Abcuro’s lead program, ABC008, is an anti-KLRG1 antibody capable of depleting highly differentiated cytotoxic T cells that … Read More