YUMAB spin-off CORAT Therapeutics announced that the first major batch of its SARS-CoV-2 blocking antibody COR-101 has been produced and is now available for clinical trials. COR-101 is a fully human antibody, which efficiently blocks the cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 thereby preventing the proliferation of corona viruses.
CORAT Therapeutics CEO Dr. Andreas Herrmann today announced the completion
of the production campaign of the first major batch of COR-101, which is now
available for clinical trials. COR-101 is a fully human antibody developed in
Braunschweig, Germany, which efficiently blocks the cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 and
thus prevents the proliferation of corona viruses. As COR-101 attacks the virus
directly, its first clinical application will focus on helping already infected patients, as
this is the most urgent medical need in the pandemic. However, it is expected that
COR-101 will also protect the non-infected - this will be tested in a second step.
Human antibodies are molecules that our own body produces to fight infections.
COR-101 is one of these antibodies. CORAT Therapeutics produces it in large
quantities using biotechnological methods. By directly neutralising the corona
viruses, it is also intended to help patients who cannot produce their own antibodies
in time.
Dr. Andreas Herrmann adds: "We are extremely happy and would like to thank
everyone who has contributed to making this happen so quickly. In view of the rapidly
increasing number of acute cases, CORAT wants to create a possibility for direct
treatment of COVID-19 patients in order to help all those who are already infected or
for whom the vaccination does not work. We hope that the clinical trials can now start
very soon".
The production process was based on stable expressing CHO cell pools. This new
path of bioprocess development was taken for the first time and allowed the
manufacturing of the clinical test material in a much shorter time than with
conventional antibody production methods. Prof. Holger Ziehr, Head of the
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Division at the Fraunhofer ITEM in Braunschweig,
who is in charge of the production of the clinical antibody, comments: "Thanks to the
excellent cooperation between all partners and the regulatory authorities, we were
able to develop a novel and innovative production process that saved many months.
What we have learned here will certainly also inspire more efficient drug
development in the future".
The start of clinical trials with COR-101 is planned for early next year.