Attralus, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of transformative medicines to improve the lives of patients with systemic amyloidosis, today announced the completion of its $25 million Series A funding Series A funding was led by venBio Partners and will allow Attralus to further validate its pan-amyloid imaging agent, AT-01, and advance two therapeutic candidates, AT-02 and AT-03, to clinical development for ATTR (transthyretin), AL (light chain) and potentially ALECT2 systemic amyloidosis. Attralus expects to file IND applications for the two therapeutic programs by early 2022.
Systemic amyloidosis involves a diverse group of approximately 30 different disorders that occur as a result of protein misfolding, which produces amyloid fibrills that accumulate in multiple organs throughout the body. Deposited amyloid is toxic to organs and tissues and causes severe dysfunction. All forms of systemic amyloidosis, including AL, ATTR and ALECT2, may affect multiple major organs and tissues, including the heart, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and nerves. Patients with amyloidosis have a wide range of severely debilitating symptoms, such as heart failure, renal failure and neuropathy, and most patients have a life expectancy of less than five years from onset of symptoms. Diagnosis of amyloidosis can be difficult, as multiple diagnostic tests and medical visits are often needed to confirm the disease. Misdiagnosis can be deadly, and delayed diagnosis can lead to poor outcomes.
“Attralus is committed to new breakthroughs for patients living with systemic amyloidosis,” said Spencer Guthrie, Chief Executive Officer of Attralus. “With our novel pan-amyloid targeting agents, we are able to visualize the pathology and progression of systemic amyloidosis through full-body diagnostic imaging. We are now using our pan-amyloid binders to develop highly targeted treatments to remove toxic deposits of amyloid fibrills from affected tissues. Our approach to the removal of amyloid in the body has the potential to benefit a wide range of patients living with the disease, including late-stage patients for whom current therapies have not shown significant impact. We have the opportunity to use AT-01 to guide our development of AT-02 and AT-03 in a targeted manner by detecting the exact location and amount of amyloid, carefully selecting patients and monitoring treatment response. Our experienced, passionate team consists of leading amyloidosis scientists and experts. We expect our therapies to be fully inclusive of treatments that address all types of amyloidosis, including the majority that currently have no treatment options available. In addition, we’re excited to be a partner with Dr. The Wall Research Group, which has more than 25 years of translational experience in amyloidosis “That’s right.
In contrast to current treatments that reduce the formation of new amyloid fibrils and slow disease progression but do not address already deposited amyloid, Attralus is developing novel pan-amyloid targeting agents that directly bind and remove toxic amyloid fibrils from organs and tissues throughout the body, with the potential to reverse disease pathology. In contrast to current monoclonal antibodies in the development of systemic amyloidosis, Attralus therapeutics target patterns that are universally and ubiquitously presented on all amyloid fibrills. This pan-amyloid binding profile allows the therapeutics of Attralus to target multiple types of amyloid fibrills, including AL, ATTR, ALECT2 and others. In an ongoing clinical trial assessing the use of AT-01 for diagnostic imaging in systemic amyloidosis patients, Attralus’ pan-amyloid targeting agent demonstrated potent and specific binding to a wide variety of amyloid fibrils.
“Based on years of focused research and direct work with patients, we are now in a position to fully visualize the extent of systemic amyloidosis, to begin to fully understand the impact of the disease and to guide the development of truly novel and targeted therapeutics for so many patients who have not had access to treatment,” said Jonathan Wall, Ph.D. D. D. , Interim Chief Scientific Officer of Attralus, Professor of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville and Head of the Amyloidosis and Cancer Theranostics Program; “We are excited to use the scientific knowledge we have gained to date to shed light on the disease and to drive forward progress for all patients living with systemic amyloidosis. “That’s right.
Attralus’ team of leading amyloidosis scientists and experts, including Spencer Guthrie and Dr. Jonathan Wall has been researching and advanced therapy for systemic amyloidosis for more than 25 years. The team understands first-hand the high unmet medical needs of disease patients and is committed to the path to potential new science-driven therapies. Richard Gaster, M, M D. D. Ph, Ph. D. D. VenBio Partner, and Corey Goodman, Ph. D. D. , VenBio Managing Partner, will join Spencer Guthrie and Nancy Miller-Rich on the Board of Directors of Attralus.
“We are excited to partner with the exceptional leaders of Attralus and develop transformative therapies for patients living with a range of systemic amyloid diseases,” said Dr. Gaster’s “Through years of rigorous scientific research, Wall successfully advanced its pan-amyloid imaging agent, AT-01, to the clinic and demonstrated excellent target involvement in patients with many forms of systemic amyloidosis. Attralus now has the opportunity to further validate AT-01 and advance two therapeutic agents, AT-02 and AT-03, to the clinic. These therapists leverage similar pan-amyloid binding properties to AT-01, but have improved pharmacokinetic properties and are armed to facilitate the removal of toxic amyloid fibrils. With this approach, we believe that Attralus will have the opportunity to deliver life-changing therapies to patients suffering from systemic amyloidosis without approved treatment options. “That’s right.
“For too long, many patients with systemic amyloidosis have been struggling to get timely diagnosis and treatment for their disease,” said Isabelle Lousada, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Amyloidosis Research Consortium. “The imaging diagnosis has the potential to help patients get diagnosed earlier and to give a full picture of the extent of their disease. Scientific research is promising and, with Attralus’ commitment, we are eager to see the results of the further development of both imaging diagnostics and potentially new treatment options for amyloidosis patients worldwide. “That’s right.
On the Attralus
Attralus is a biopharmaceutical company focused on illuminating the systemic nature of amyloidosis and developing transformative medicines to improve the lives of patients. The proprietary peptide-based pan-amyloid targeting agents have the potential to diagnose and treat all forms and stages of systemic amyloidosis. Attralus focuses on the targeting of common pathology in all systemic amyloidosis diseases, with the aim of developing treatments for all amyloidosis subtypes, including the majority in which there are currently no treatment options. Attralus is located in South San Francisco and was founded in 2019 with funding from VenBio Partners. Visit Attralus online and on Twitter for more information.
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