AFYX Therapeutics today touted results from a study exploring the delivery of antibody fragments using the company’s Rivelin technology.
The preclinical study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, evaluated Rivelin for delivering the antibody fragments directly to inflamed tissue in mucosal diseases.
According to a news release, results demonstrated that Rivelin can deliver biologic drugs, with the company’s proprietary biodegradable patch successfully delivering therapeutic anti-TNFα antibody fragments directly to inflamed mucosal tissue and that the antibodies maintained a neutralizing effect on inflammatory cells.
Researchers demonstrated that a biotinylated F(ab) fragment was electrospun into the existing Rivelin formulation and released to target tissue while maintaining antigen-binding activity, with a low dose (18.9 ng/mg) of anti-TNF F(ab)s reduced IL8 expression to a greater extent than the placebo, showing that the F(ab) maintained neutralizing activity following release.
AFYX designed Rivelin as a muco-adhesive, two-layered patch that delivers a pharmaceutical product directly to wet tissue surfaces, using a unique patch technology that adheres to mucosal surfaces for extended periods, delivering the pharmaceutical agent to the target site while limiting delivery to surrounding areas, enabling higher efficacy, lowering dosing and reducing toxicity to nonaffected parts.
“The recent presentation features the first Rivelin study demonstrating the potential to deliver not only small molecules but also proteins – in this case anti-TNFα antibody fragments. Delivering antibodies to target inflammatory disease in the oral mucosa using the Rivelin patch technology allows the development of new, locally-delivered therapies for mucosal diseases that currently can only be addressed with systemic treatment modalities,” AFYX CEO Dr. Nishan de Silva said in the news release. “Future studies will evaluate higher doses with potential to achieve complete neutralization, and will aim to deliver anti-TNFα fragments topically to inflamed tissue in oral mucosal models.”
