Invetx Completes Development of Canine and Feline Half-Life Extension Technology Platform, Extending Duration of Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Effect
Invetx, a pioneer in protein-based therapeutics for animal health, is developing long-acting therapeutics to make chronic diseases more manageable and provide better value for pet owners. The company announced that it has recently completed development of its species-specific, half-life extension technology for dogs and cats which leads to superior extended duration of activity for the company’s veterinary monoclonal antibodies. The novel technology enables the company to optimize antibody drug treatment options for chronic, serious diseases in dogs and cats. Invetx has been granted four patents in the US related to its half-life extension technology and has multiple patents pending in the US, Europe and other jurisdictions.
“We successfully completed an extensive engineering program to identify and validate novel, species-specific Fc variants and combinations of variants, which have FcRn binding affinities that improve the serum half-lives of antibodies. Our selected variants deliver significantly longer duration of drug activity in dogs and cats compared to those using standard human half-life extension technology,” said Bill Brondyk, Chief Scientific Officer, Invetx. “The technology has been applied to all our product candidates and we have demonstrated its superior effect in the target species.”
“By lengthening the time between doses – to every other month, quarterly or possibly even longer – Invetx is making the treatment of chronic diseases more manageable and convenient for pet owners,” said Juergen Horn, Chief Executive Officer, Invetx. “We believe that continuous, professionally administered treatment with our novel therapeutics, combined with regular check-ups in the clinic, can lead to better health outcomes for pets, reduce cost of treatment and provide greater value to owners.”
The half-life extension technology is part of Invetx’s overall integrated platform, which includes best-in-class antibody discovery, optimization, development and manufacturing for veterinary biotherapeutics. The company is advancing a pipeline of novel antibody therapeutics for multiple diseases in cats and dogs.
Invetx has raised $86 million since 2018, including investors F-Prime Capital, Novo Holdings, GV, Eight Roads, Anterra Capital, Casdin Capital and funds managed by Tekla Capital Management, LLC. The company has strategic partnerships with Boehringer Ingelheim, a global leader in animal health, AbCellera, a global technology company specializing in antibody discovery located in Vancouver, BC and WuXi Biologics, a global company with leading biologics technology platforms. Invetx is a private company headquartered in Boston, MA. For more information, see Invetx.