AV-001 is a first-in-class drug candidate designed to fight disease by boosting vascular endothelial stability
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vasomune Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of diseases associated with vascular dysfunction, has been selected by the American Thoracic Society to showcase its lead drug candidate AV-001 at the 2024 Respiratory Innovation Summit (RIS). Vasomune’s lead drug candidate AV-001 is a first-in-class fully synthetic PEGylated peptide targeting the Tie2 receptor. Activation of this receptor plays a critical role in vascular stability, barrier integrity and endothelial quiescence, particularly within the pulmonary space. Vasomune’s Scientific co-founder, Dr. Harold Kim, will speak on May 18th, at 11:30 AM PT, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, CA. (RIS Program Agenda can be found here).
“We are extremely excited to be invited to present our work at the Respiratory Innovation Summit during the American Thoracic Society 2024 Conference. Our lead drug candidate AV-001 is currently in Phase2a, built on the foundation of excellent Phase 1 safety results and impressive pre-clinical data from pulmonary injury models of lethal influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia," said Dr. Harold Kim, Vice President of Research at Vasomune. “We extend our sincerest thanks to the organizers for recognizing our work and providing us with this platform to connect and share with global clinical, academic and industry leaders in the respiratory field.”
Targeting the host vascular response (HVR) allows a threat agnostic approach to treating various indications. Vasomune’s preclinical work has demonstrated that therapeutic delivery of AV-001 up to 72 hours post-infection can protect against vascular leak and promote survival in a model of lethal influenza, independent of viral strain (H3N2, H1N1 and 2009 pandemic H1N1 swine flu), while keeping the innate immune system intact. This threat agnostic approach of HVR stabilization with AV-001 has been proven successful across multiple models and indications where the HVR plays a role in the pathophysiology of the disease, decreasing pulmonary vascular leak due to injury and infection. Reduction of vascular leak and improvements in survival has also been shown in models of sepsis, ischemic stroke, acute kidney injury and vascular dementia.
The results of Phase 1 study, NCT04737486, demonstrated good safety and tolerability with no drug-related discontinuations or deaths, no suspected unexpected severe adverse reactions (SUSARs), and no adverse events of special interest (AESIs). The Phase 1 results further demonstrates strong on-target activity, and a pharmacokinetic pro to once-daily dosing. AV-001 is currently being researched in NCT05123755, a Phase 2a study for patients hospitalized with pneumonia.
Join Dr. Kim at the Respiratory Innovation Summit to learn how Vasomune Therapeutics has brought together decades of research to create AV-001, a clinical-stage candidate for the treatment of diseases associated with vascular dysfunction.
About AV-001
Originally invented at Sunnybrook Research Institute at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, AV-001 is being developed by Vasomune Therapeutics, Inc. under a co-development agreement with AnGes, Inc. [TYO: 4563]. AV-001 is a novel investigational medicine that targets the Tie2 receptor, a transmembrane protein most highly expressed on the surface of endothelial cells in the vasculature. AV-001 activates the Tie2-Angiopoietin signaling axis, and through stimulation of multiple downstream pathways normalizes the vasculature by enhancing endothelial cell stability, restoring normal barrier defense, and blocking vascular leak. Vascular dysfunction contributes to the underlying disease pathophysiology in patients with bacterial and viral acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, hemorrhagic shock, acute kidney injury, stroke, and vascular dementia. Importantly, in multiple pre-clinical studies AV-001 restored endothelial cell-cell junctions and promoted endothelial cell survival, which reduced pulmonary edema, and improved lung function compared to untreated controls translating into significantly improved survival.
About Vasomune Therapeutics, Inc.
Vasomune Therapeutics, Inc. is a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing the next generation of medicines to harness the body’s ability to defend against illness. Founded in 2014, Vasomune has focused on vascular normalization strategies, and has progressed the lead candidate AV-001 from bench to bedside. Vascular dysfunction is associated with the pathology of several disease states, including bacterial and viral acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, hemorrhagic shock, acute kidney injury, stroke, and vascular dementia. Vasomune’s corporate headquarters and laboratories are in Toronto, Canada with US offices in Raleigh, NC. For more information about the company please visit .
About AnGes, Inc.
AnGes, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company founded in December 1999, focuses on the development of gene-based medicines. In March 2019, AnGes obtained conditional and time-limited approval for its lead product, Collategene® (Hepatocyte Growth Factor; HGF—plasmid gene therapy), for the treatment of lower limb ischemic ulcers. In September 2019, AnGes commenced commercialization in Japan of Collategene®, the world’s first marketed drug using plasmid DNA. AnGes is currently working on the development of a Tie2 tyrosine kinase receptor agonist (AV-001) for COVID-19, viral and bacterial-associated pneumonia and an NF-κB decoy oligonucleotide for chronic discogenic lumbar back pain. Furthermore, AnGes acquired EmendoBio in December 2020 to expand its capabilities in genome-editing technologies. For more information, visit .
