Immutep taps Charles River for IMP761 LAG-3 antibody preclinical study

Immutep Limited, an Australian biotech company specializing in LAG-3 immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, has partnered with Charles River Laboratories to conduct a GLP toxicology study for its preclinical candidate, IMP761, targeting autoimmune diseases.

Developed as a first-in-class LAG-3 agonist antibody, IMP761 aims to address the root cause of autoimmune diseases by mitigating the overactivation of self-antigen-specific memory T cells expressing LAG-3.

By specifically silencing autoimmune memory T cells that accumulate at disease sites, IMP761 demonstrates the potential in suppressing the underlying cause of various autoimmune diseases. These memory T cells express LAG-3 as an “exhaustion marker” following repetitive stimulation with dominant self-peptides.

Frédéric Triebel — Immutep Chief Scientific Officer said: “Immutep is continuing its pioneering work in the LAG-3 immunotherapy landscape, as we advance IMP761, the world’s first LAG-3 agonist antibody, towards the clinic in the first half of next year.

“With its novel ability to enhance the signaling of the LAG-3 inhibitory receptor and down-regulate auto-reactive memory T cells at the centre of many autoimmune diseases, we believe IMP761 has the potential to change how immune disorders are treated. We are pleased to be working with an established global company like Charles River for this next important step of our pre-clinical development.”

Preclinical toxicology studies play a crucial role in the drug development process, enabling the evaluation of the potential safety and toxicity of a drug candidate before proceeding to human trials.

Leveraging Charles River’s established expertise in early-stage drug development, Immutep has chosen them as their preferred partner to advance the IMP761 program through this pivotal stage of IND-enabling studies.

One of the notable benefits of IMP761 is its agonistic activation of LAG-3, which proves relevant in treating multiple diseases, including Th1-driven autoimmune conditions.

In a preclinical study conducted on an oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis model, IMP761 demonstrated a reduction in the secretion of nearly all measured cytokines. Several key cytokines, such as IL-10, IL-12, IL-1β, IL-4, and IL-6, reached statistical significance (p < 0.01). These encouraging findings were published in Pediatric Research in May 2021.

The upcoming GLP toxicology results, along with other essential preclinical studies, will play a vital role in Immutep’s clinical trial application for IMP761.