诺华合作的生物技术公司获得新资金，加大力度开发慢性乙

StephenW

诺华合作的生物技术公司获得新资金，加大力度开发慢性乙型肝炎的“功能性治疗”
阿尤什·普拉塔普
新闻记者

根据美国疾病控制与预防中心的数据，每年全球有 82 万人死于慢性乙型肝炎感染，尽管有疫苗和治疗方法，但仍有 150 万人受到感染。目前的护理标准治疗可以有效阻止病毒复制，但它们要求患者终生服药。

成立于 2019 年的 Bluejay Therapeutics 正试图改变这种状况，旨在通过使 HBsAg（病毒蛋白表面抗原）在治疗后六个月内完全无法检测到，从而开发出治疗乙型肝炎感染的功能性治疗方法。它有新一轮的现金来尝试使其成为现实。

该公司周二完成了由 Arkin Bio Ventures 牵头的 4100 万美元 B 轮融资。本轮融资包括其他新老投资者的参与，包括 Synergenics LLC、RiverVest Venture Partners、Yonjin Capital、Octagon Capital 和 InnoPinnacle International。

“疫苗是可用的，但不是每个人都能接触到它。例如，英国的卫生系统甚至没有涵盖它，”Bluejay 的创始人兼首席执行官 Keting Chu 说。 “当患者停止服药时，病毒就会反弹，”楚补充道。

即使患者在服药，他们的身体也会继续产生 HBsAg，这会导致慢性炎症，最终导致肝硬化和癌症。

Chu说，这些HBsAg抗原在体内产生时会导致免疫系统“耗尽”，特别是B细胞和T细胞。 Bluejay 的主要资产是 BJT-778，一种针对 HBsAg 抗原的抗体，该公司已从诺华获得许可。

“目标是恢复 T 细胞和 B 细胞功能以获得免疫控制并实现功能性治愈，”Chu 说。

本轮资金将支持 BJT-778（一种人类抗 HBsAg 单克隆抗体）的临床开发，以在慢性乙型肝炎患者中进行概念验证。该公司表示，它还将资助 BJT-574（一种口服生物可利用的小分子 HBsAg 抑制剂）进入首次人体临床试验。

乙型肝炎病毒主要在分娩和分娩过程中从母婴传播，以及通过与受感染的伴侣发生性关系时接触血液或其他体液、不安全的注射或接触锋利的器具而传播。一旦进入体内，它会导致慢性感染，并使人们面临死于肝硬化和肝癌的高风险。

目前，美国有七种药物获批用于慢性乙型肝炎感染患者。其中包括五种抗病毒药物，每天服用一次，持续一年或更长时间。并且有两种类型的免疫调节药物，称为“干扰素”，可以注射六个月到一年。这些药物的一些主要生产商包括吉利德、葛兰素史克、百时美施贵宝和诺华。
作者
阿尤什·普拉塔普
新闻记者
[email protected]

StephenW

Novartis-partnered biotech nabs new cash, boosting efforts to develop 'functional cure' for chronic hepatitis B
Aayushi Pratap
News Reporter

Every year, 820,000 people die of chronic hepatitis B infections globally, and 1.5 million get infected, despite the availability of vaccines and treatments, according to the CDC. Current standard-of-care treatments can be effective in stopping virus replication, but they require patients to be on meds for life.

Bluejay Therapeutics, which was founded in 2019, is trying to change that, aiming to develop a functional cure for hepatitis B infections by making HBsAg — viral protein-surface antigens — completely undetectable within six months of treatment. And it’s got a new round of cash to try making it a reality.

The company closed a $41 million Series B round Tuesday led by Arkin Bio Ventures. This round included participation from other new and existing investors, including Synergenics LLC, RiverVest Venture Partners, Yonjin Capital, Octagon Capital and InnoPinnacle International.

“Vaccines are available but not everyone has access to it. For instance, the UK health system does not even cover it,” said Keting Chu, Bluejay’s founder and CEO. “When patients stop taking medicine, the virus rebounds,” Chu added.

Even when patients are on meds, their bodies continue to make HBsAg, which causes chronic inflammation that eventually leads to liver cirrhosis and cancer.

These HBsAg antigens, when produced in the body, cause “exhaustion” of the immune system, specifically the B cell and T cell, said Chu. Bluejay’s lead asset is BJT-778, an antibody against HBsAg antigens, which the company has licensed from Novartis.

“The goal is to restore T cell and B cell functions to get immune control and achieve a functional cure,” Chu said.

Funding from this round will support the clinical development of BJT-778, a human anti-HBsAg monoclonal antibody, to demonstrate proof-of-concept in chronic hepatitis B patients. It will also fund the development of BJT-574, an orally bioavailable small molecule HBsAg inhibitor, into first-in-human clinical trials, the company said.

The hepatitis B virus is mostly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery, as well as through contact with blood or other bodily fluids during sex with an infected partner, unsafe injections or exposure to sharp instruments. Once in the body, it causes chronic infection and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Currently, there are seven drugs approved in the US for patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. These include five types of antiviral drugs that are taken as a pill once a day for one year or longer. And there are two types of immune modulator drugs, called “interferon,” that are given as an injection for six months to one year. Some of the major producers of these drugs include Gilead, GSK, Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis.
AUTHOR
Aayushi Pratap
News Reporter
[email protected]