HOUSTON , Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Autoimmunity BioSolutions (ABS), a biotechnology company pioneering a next-generation, immuno-corrective therapy for a highly prevalent, genetically-defined subpopulation of patients that suffer from autoimmune disease, announced the closing of a seed financing led by Eos BioInnovation, with participation from Alexandria Venture Investments, Independent Capital and others. ABS was founded based on the groundbreaking research of Drs.
Gaddiel Galarza-Muñoz and Mariano A. Garcia-Blanco , when the Garcia-Blanco laboratory was at Duke University and University of Texas Medical Branch. ABS targets a branch of the Interleukin-7 (IL7) / Interleukin-7 receptor (IL7R) pathway controlled by the soluble Interleukin-7 receptor (sIL7R), a critical amplifier of autoimmune reactions.
In particular, the founders discovered that a highly prevalent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that increases the risk and severity of autoimmune disease, does so by enhancing the expression of sIL7R. ABS has developed monoclonal antibodies highly specific for sIL7R. "While the role of IL7 and IL7R in autoimmunity has been documented in the literature, our genetic and biochemical studies indicated that the alternative isoform – sIL7R – is the real culprit in this pathway, and thus the desired target of therapy", said Mariano A.
Garcia-Blanco , MD, PhD, co-founder of ABS and currently Professor and Chair of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology at the Unive.