The Symphogen Approach
Symphogen is developing recombinant antibody mixtures (rpAbs) to replace plasma-derived immunoglobulin products. rpAbs may build upon the clinical strengths of immunoglobulins, while also improving upon their weaknesses, broadening their therapeutic potential.
Symphogen’s lead program in this area is rozrolimupab for the treatment of Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) and the prevention of Hemolytic Disease of Newborns (HDN). Symphogen is also developing Sym002 for the replacement of existing anti-vaccinia hyperimmune immunoglobulins (VIG) for the treatment of adverse effects caused by smallpox vaccination.
Drawback of Immunoglobulins
Immunoglobulins have been widely used for many years to prevent and treat a broad range of autoimmune and infectious diseases. Immunoglobulin products are comprised of complex mixtures of antibodies isolated from the blood of healthy or vaccinated donors. Although immunoglobulin products are generally well tolerated and reflect the diversity of the natural immune system, their use is associated with several disadvantages. These limitations include: low efficacy as only a fraction of the antibodies will be specific to a particular antigen; safety concerns due to the risk of disease transmission via infected blood; batch-to-batch variations; and potential supply shortages due to dependency on donor blood availability. Additionally, the long process of blood collection, screening and immunoglobulin purification makes this a relatively expensive therapeutic option.
Benefits of Symphogen Antibody Mixtures
Symphogen believes that rpAb therapeutics may address the shortcomings of immunoglobulins. The Symplex™ technology captures a broad representation of fully human antibody species with diversity comparable to plasma-derived immunoglobulins and specificity reflecting the natural affinity and specificity of monoclonal antibodies. These pAbs are more pure than immunoglobulins, and therefore eliminate the risk of infectious disease transmission. Additionally, because Symphogen’s pAbs are produced recombinantly using industrial manufacturing techniques, they are not subject to supply limitations or batch-to-batch variations like immunoglobulins.
Rozrolimupab (Sym001)
