West Loop Innovations Announces Research Collaboration to Advance Antibody Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases
University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is pleased to announce that Dr. Bellur S. Prabhakar’s laboratory is the first project accepted by West Loop Innovations, the collaboration between Deerfield Management and UIC. West Loop Innovations aims to help facilitate the laboratory of Dr. Bellur S. Prabhakar to discover a safe and effective antibody treatment for autoimmune diseases through an exploratory biologics initiative targeting regulatory Tcells (Tregs).
Dr. Bellur Prabhakar currently serves as Professor in the Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, and Ophthalmology. He is also the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Associate Dean for Technological Innovation. He completed his Ph.D. in Viral Immunology at Johns Hopkins University, after which he spent 10 years at the National Institute of Dental Research at NIH and then 7 years at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston before joining UIC in 1997.
There are over 100 different autoimmune diseases for which there is no cure. Existing therapies to suppress autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection and Adverse Immune Reactions (AIRs) associated with check point blockade treatment for cancers, are nonspecific, not curative and cause general immune suppression resulting in debilitating side effects, poor quality of life, and increased risk of infection and malignancies.
Deficit in Treg numbers and/or function contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Therefore, restoring Treg numbers/function should be a highly effective and safe treatment for autoimmune diseases. Most of the current Treg expansion methods are not suitable for routine clinical use, and the efficacy and the number of adoptively transferred Tregs wane over a period of weeks to months. Hence, an alternative safe approach that can cause selective expansion of Tregs with sustained suppressive function is highly desired for conferring long-term protection against autoimmune diseases. This proposed therapeutic approach restores homeostatic balance to the immune system by following natural pathways of immune regulation while avoiding adverse effects of general immunosuppression.
“Our method of Treg expansion is innovative and is expected to be broadly & easily used to treat undesirable immune responses. We have very strong efficacy data in animal models of Systemic Lupus Erythematosis, Type-1 Diabetes and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis generated with support from the NIH (RO1 and STTR from NIAID), JDRF, Sirazi Foundation and UIC proof of concept funding.”
- Bellur Prabhakar
The goal of this project is to build on UIC research conducted over the past two decades in the Prabhakar lab which has elucidated novel mechanisms for regulatory T cell induction and maintenance.
The Office of Technology Management, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Innovation, and West Loop Innovations continue to assist faculty by providing guidance and sponsoring educational programming focused on drug discovery and development.
Exploratory Biologics Initiative
Deerfield’s exploratory biologics initiative aims to de-risk a target or therapeutic concept with a set of exploratory biologic molecules. Proposals with a well-defined therapeutic hypothesis can be submitted for review by the Deerfield Science Review Team. For accepted programs, the aim is to deliver panels of 15 – 20 antibodies (or other biologics) that bind to the target of interest and can be functional modulators. Projects under this Initiative will have access to Deerfield’s network of Contract Research Organizations (CROs) to enable the identification of fully human antibodies. Successful projects may transition to full collaboration projects in West Loop Innovations.
About West Loop Innovations
West Loop Innovations, LLC was formed in 2019 with the goal of translating the work of University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) biomedical researchers and accelerating innovation for potential commercial biopharmaceutical uses. Deerfield has committed up to $65 million in funding as well as operational support to selected research in connection with the West Loop Innovations collaboration.
Projects selected by West Loop Innovations will receive a development plan, resources to achieve Investigational New Drug (IND) readiness and operational expertise. Successful projects that achieve IND-enabled status may be eligible for additional capital from Deerfield.
To learn more, please reach out to West Loop Innovations Scientific Collaboration Manager, Melissa Maderia, maderia@otm.uic.edu.