AdAlta CEO Sam Cobb presented at the Biotech and Money Inv€$tival Showcase held in London on November 13 2018.
The meeting aims showcase the latest innovative and investable private and public life science opportunities; connecting corporate to capital through the strong attendance of investors.
Sam Cobb’s presentation can be viewed below, providing an overview of AdAlta’s corporate structure, innovative i-body platform and lead program for the treatment of fibrosis.
AdAlta, the Australian biotech pioneering a next generation biologic called an i-body, is pleased to announce that its CEO Sam Cobb will speak on two panels at the largest life science conference in Australia, AusBiotech 2018 (October 31 – November 2).
Ms Cobb will draw on her experience as one of just 13 percent of female CEOs in the Australian life sciences sector[1], for the panel discussion: Gender diversity in Australian biotech, November 1, 9.45am.
Later that day, Ms Cobb will highlight the potential of AdAlta’s i-body platform to target one of the most therapeutically relevant yet to difficult to access class of receptors, G coupled Protein Receptors, as part of the panel: From bench to bedside: GPCR drug discovery, November 1, 11am.
“AdAlta’s i-body is a world-first in next generation biologics; it is a human protein engineered with a very long loop that can access deep grooves and cavities, with great target specificity,” Ms Cobb explained.
“AdAlta now has a substantial body of data to support the therapeutic potential of the i-body.
“We’re developing our i-body therapy, AD-214, with a focus on the lung disease Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). AD-214 binds and exerts its anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effect on a type of GPCR chemokine receptor called CXCR4, which is a novel disease target pathway for IPF not currently addressed by approved drugs or those drug candidates in the clinic.
“We are excited to be progressing AD-214 to the clinic, and we expect to undertake our first human trials in early 2020.”
AusBiotech 2018 will be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Southbank. More details: http://ausbiotechnc.org/program
[1] Roberts S. 22 December 2017, Australia’s growing support for women in life sciences, Retrieved from http://www.ndfresearch.com/womeninlifesciences.html [Accessed 15 October 2018]
Associate Professor Michael Foley, founding Chief Scientific Officer of emerging drug developer AdAlta Limited, will be in the USA later this month to present at the novel drug conference Discovery on Target (25-28 Sept). A copy of his presentation can be accessed here.
At Discovery on Target, Dr Foley will highlight the potential of i-body therapeutics to more efficiently and effectively target GPCRs than the traditional small molecule drug approach. Dr Foley will also explore the i-body’s potential for ‘biased’ signalling, a highly selective way to modulate cell function that could be the next major advancement in drug development.
Dr Foley explained: “About 40% of the drugs on the market today target GPCRs, but almost all of them are small molecules, which tend not to be target-specific and therefore have many undesirable side effects.
“Antibodies tend to be more target-specific and have fewer side effects, however traditional human antibodies are very big and their shape prevents them from accessing targets like GPCRs.
“The i-body, with its long loop, can effectively access GPCRs with few, if any, side effects.
“AdAlta has a library of over 20 billion i-bodies with different functional profiles, which can be screened against GPCRs as a starting point for developing therapies to treated a wide range of diseases currently considered therapeutically challenging.”
AdAlta is developing its lead i-body therapeutic, AD-214, to treat fibrotic conditions, with a particular focus on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). In preclinical and laboratory studies, AdAlta’s lead i-body has demonstrated selective binding to its target, CXCR4, a protein expressed at higher levels in patients with lung fibrosis, and blocked the migration of cells implicated in fibrosis without influencing or impacting healthy cells.
“Unlike existing treatments for IPF, which have an unknown or very broad mode of action, the mechanism of action AD-214 is exquisitely specific and well understood,” Dr Foley said. “AD-214 could potentially bring the progression of the disease to a grinding halt.”
Associate Professor Michael Foley will present at the Discovery on Target Conference Wednesday 26th September at 2:25pM EDT and a copy of his presentation can be viewed here.
AdAlta is thrilled to be announced as a finalist in the Australian Technologies Competition. AdAlta will present along with the other 12 finalists at the Finals Showcase to be held in Sydney on November 15.
Learn more about the competition hosted by Impact Technology Ventures and subscribe to receive competition updates.
IPF patient Bill Van Nierop paddled into Wellington, South Australia yesterday to complete his 2,200km journey down the Murray River.
“The last 12kms was always going to be difficult mentally but more so as weather/river gods obviously decided to challenge to the end. After what seemed forever, at a time when Wal & I side by side in the river, Wal simply said, “you’ve done it, welcome to Wellington mate”.”
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AdAlta is so proud of what Bill has accomplished, a herculean effort to tackle this challenge while living everyday with IPF. The strides he has made in raising, not only awareness of an often-neglected disease, but also $64,000 for the Lung Foundation are beyond remarkable. Learn more about Bill’s Long Kayak for Lungs and make a donation here.
At AdAlta we are focused on progressing AD-214, our potential treatment for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Our day-to-day activities are focused on the nitty gritty details of understanding fibrosis and how AD-214 works to reduce scarring of the lungs while also raising funding to continue our work.
In the Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month of September we take a step back and focus on the patient behind the disease we’re working so hard to treat. Learn more about Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month using #blueup4pf and #PFMonth.
Throughout September AdAlta will be following the journey of IPF patient Bill Van Nierop as he takes on the Long Kayak for Lungs, paddling 2200km over 42 days in a sea kayak down the Murray River. Bill, originally from Berri in Adelaide, grew up on the Murray River. Consider that IPF is characterised by difficulty breathing and you can understand how extraordinary a challenge Bill has set himself.
We were honoured when Bill reached out and asked for our support, last year Bill, 65, walked 770kms to raise awareness about IPF and funds for Lung Foundation Australia. Following his diagnosis of IPF, Bill has found little awareness of what Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis is and that there is a stigma attached around the disease.
AdAlta is proud to support and promote Bill’s courageous journey; Bill’s story is a strong reminder of why we do what we do at AdAlta. Learn more about Bill’s Long Kayak For Lungs and make a donation.
Bill was diagnosed with IPF in 2015. Over the last three years Bill has been on both of the existing treatments, initially Nintedanib and now Pirfenidone. Both treatments have had side effects, with nausea being common in both, and Nintedanib have additional side effects of sun sensitivity and diarrhoea.
Bill is looking ahead and hoping to be accepted on a clinical trial for new therapies in the near future. He is hopeful that AdAlta’s treatment AD-214 will one day be available to patients.
On Sunday August 19, AdAlta’s CEO Sam Cobb and Chief Scientific Officer Mick Foley met Bill in Echuca, after he’d been paddling for about 10 days.
With only 50% lung capacity battling the effects of IPF including fatigue along with the side effects of treatment, Bill continues to push on despite the cold weather, whitecaps and strong head winds of 40kms recently seen in the Victorian region of the Murray.
On paddling with IPF: Really strong kayakers just power through this water, but effort required makes me breathless quickly so more stops. I need to find a different way of managing these patches.
On the battle with IPF: IPF battled me for lot of last 12-15kms…and it’s really a mental challenge, which I find much more tiring.
On the current treatment options for IPF: For those fellow IPF patients, they would understand that our medication like Pirfenidone, has some side effects, which we all live with. There are a lot worse off than me. However today I had to persevere with nausea & stomach cramps, first real day that there’s been an impact, so can’t complain.
On the side effects of IPF: Don’t mention it much, as part of my life now, but I’m susceptible to whatever causes nausea in my medications, & got hammered today.
On scale of 1-10, about 18, but usually being active gets me through it. Not today, had to live with it.
ABC News: Bill van Nierop to kayak 2200kms to raise awareness of IPF
Health Professional Radio: Long Kayak for Lungs 2018
Check Orphan: Australian lung fibrosis patient on long kayak for better treatments
PharmaDispatch: AdAlta backing Long Kayak for Lungs
AdAlta CEO Sam Cobb met with Morgans Senior Analyst, Scott Power, in August 2018 to provide an introduction to AdAlta, an update on the progress of improved lead candidate, AD-214 and some background on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a lung condition in desperate need of new treatment options for which AdAlta is developing AD-214. The interview can be viewed below and AdAlta’s latest company presentation can be found here.
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A 65-year-old Brisbane man with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) will kayak 2,200 kilometres from NSW to South Australia over the next two months to raise awareness for the debilitating lung disease characterised by difficulty breathing.
Bill Van Nierop has called his endeavour the ‘Long Kayak for Lungs’, and it builds on his efforts last year when he walked 697 kilometres from Narromine to Forbes in NSW and raised more than $100,000 for Lung Foundation Australia.
Mr Van Nierop will kick off the Long Kayak for Lungs on 10 August and he aims to complete it by 20 September, coinciding with global Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month (September). Donate here to support Bill’s endeavour and the valuable work of Lung Foundation Australia.
“I want to get Australia having a conversation about IPF,” said Mr Van Nierop, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2015 with no noticeable symptoms except a sense of breathlessness that he had put down to age.
“There is a real stigma around IPF – no one is talking about it – and a lack of awareness among clinicians. Treatment options are severely poor and available funds for research are difficult to access, all of which make IPF difficult to diagnose and to live with as a patient.”
IPF, or lung fibrosis, is a life-limiting disease that causes irreversible scarring of lung tissue. The cause of IPF is unknown, and the scarring continues to worsen over time, making it difficult to breathe.
Experts estimate that 1,250 people are diagnosed with IPF each year in Australia. Currently, there are just two treatments approved for IPF – Pirfenidone (Esbriet®) and Nintedanib (Ofev®). These drugs are not curative only slowing disease progression, and patients tend to discontinue use due to severe side effects. Even with treatment, the prognosis of IPF is very poor, with a median survival of only three to five years following diagnosis.
AdAlta is developing its lead i-body candidate AD-214 to treat IPF.
AdAlta CEO Sam Cobb explained, “AD-214 is a novel treatment because, unlike the existing treatments, it selectively targets and binds to a protein thought to contribute to the progression of lung fibrosis, called CXCR4. Our data clearly demonstrate the therapeutic potential of the i-body in the case of IPF, and its promise as a future treatment option.
“We are immensely inspired and encouraged by Bill’s efforts, and we wish him the best of luck!”
AdAlta is progressing AD-214 to the clinic as quickly as possible, and is currently completing manufacturing of the product in preparation for additional safety studies, after which the drug will be trialled in human studies. AdAlta will complete its first human studies in healthy volunteers in Australia in the first quarter of 2020.
Learn more about Bill’s journey at the Long Kayak For Lungs website: https://www.longkayakforlungs.com.au/
AdAlta held an Investor Conference Call on August 1 where CEO Sam Cobb provided an update on the progress of AdAlta’s lead therapeutic program for the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, AD-214. She also discussed the Company’s recent Placement to institutional and sophisticated investors and conducted a Q+A session, covering any questions on AD-214 progress and the Share Purchase Plan (SPP) Offer, which is currently open to shareholders.
If you would like to access a recording of the call please provide your details below. The Investor Presentation that accompanies the recording can be found here.
The proceeds from the Placement and the SPP will be used for manufacturing and pre-clinical studies of AD-214 as well as internal research and development of new i- bodies and corporate costs.
Full details of the SPP Offer are available in the SPP Offer booklet and available on the Company’s website (www.adalta.com.au).
Please sign up below to listen to the Investor Conference Call Recording, August 1 2018
The potential of AdAlta’s i-body platform to target G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), the high hanging fruit of drug discovery, has recently been highlighted in two articles published by Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.
GPCRs have previously proven difficult to target by conventional therapeutics, namely small molecules and antibodies. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery has recently highlighted the achievement of a major milestone with Amgen’s erenumab securing FDA approval as the first antibody targeting a GPCR. However, the article also highlights the existing challenges and suggests that both phage display techniques as well as single-domain antibodies, characteristic of AdAlta’s i-body platform, may open up further opportunities to develop therapeutics to GPCRs.
Another article published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery was focused on how conventional antibodies have captured the low-hanging fruit of drug discovery, resulting in blockbuster drugs such as Herceptin. However, next generation antibody therapeutics such as AdAlta’s i-body platform have the potential to reach the high-hanging fruit including difficult to access targets, multi-pass membrane proteins and improved antibody selectivity, as shown below.
The advantages of the i-body platform were discussed at AdAlta’s Investor Briefing held in February 2018 as well as in a recent report published by NDF Research.
AdAlta CEO Sam Cobb attended 121 Tech Investment in Hong Kong held June 13 and 14, 2018. 121 Tech Investment is a gathering of 39 Tech companies and over 200 sophisticated investors from Asia’s tech investment and finance community.
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During the two day event Sam Cobb provided an introduction to AdAlta and its lead IPF program through both an Interview with 121 Tech and a Presentation to Investors. Sam Cobb also had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with investors from Asia’s Tech community, providing exposure to an additional segment of potential investors.
