* Pulmonary delivery of anti-viral Nanobodies® gives extended
protection against viral infection in vivo
* In vivo proof of concept for its novel proprietary
half-life extension technology
GHENT, Belgium, 14 January 2009 - Ablynx [Euronext Brussels: ABLX],
a pioneer in the discovery and development of Nanobodies®, a novel
class of antibody-derived therapeutic proteins, announced today two
significant advances achieved with its Nanobody® platform. In the
first, it has shown that anti-viral Nanobodies® give extended
protection against viral infection in vivo when administered via an
intrapulmonary route. In the second, Ablynx has demonstrated in vivo
proof of concept for a proprietary novel half-life(*) extension
technology which allows the half-life of its Nanobody®-based
therapeutics to be tailored depending on the disease indication.
Pulmonary delivery of Nanobodies®
Ablynx has demonstrated that anti-viral Nanobodies® protect against
signs of viral infection and presence of active virus when delivered
via an intrapulmonary route. Following a single administration of the
Nanobodies® via the lungs, neutralization of virus was observed for
at least 72 hours.
Additionally, Ablynx has shown that Nanobodies® are suitable for
systemic delivery(**) via the lungs. Their extended bioavailability
is increased by a factor of five to ten times compared with
intravenous administration.
Ablynx is also investigating other alternative delivery technologies
for its Nanobodies® including oral to systemic delivery and
needleless administration.
Novel proprietary half-life extension technology
Ablynx has access to several different methods to tailor the
half-life of its Nanobodies® depending on the desired characteristics
of the therapeutic drug candidate and the indication. The Company
announced today that they have discovered and developed a novel
proprietary half-life extension technology and demonstrated in vivo
results which show considerable potential to significantly increase
the half-life for its Nanobodies® in humans.
Please see link below for the complete version of this press release
For more information, please contact:
College Hill Life Sciences - for UK/International media enquiries:
Sue Charles, Justine Lamond, John McIntyre
t: +44 (0)20 7866 7857
f: +44 (0)20 7866 7900
e: ablynx@collegehill.com
Ablynx:
Dr. Edwin Moses
Chairman and CEO
t: +32 (0)9 262 00 07
m: +44 (0)7771 954 193 / +32 (0)473 39 50 68
e: edwin.moses@ablynx.com
Eva-Lotta Allan
Chief Business Officer
t: +32 (0)9 262 00 75
m: +32 (0)475 78 36 21 / +44 (0)7990 570 900
e: eva-lotta.allan@ablynx.com
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