Our Platform

Vetigenics’ proprietary, comprehensive, fully canine phage display libraries are estimated to contain over 40 billion independent single chain fragment variables (scFv) or CANIBODIES™. The library was created from naturally rearranged canine germline genes encoding VH and VL immunoglobulin chains. Vetigenics’ unique panning know how leads to rapid isolation of multiple, unique CANIBODIES™ against any target antigen of interest. CANIBODY™ isolation can be fine-tuned according to desired binding affinity and antigen specific CANIBODIES™ can be further selected based on desired traits of functionality and developability.

Background

Harnessing the power of the immune system to treat infectious, inflammatory and neoplastic disorders in humans has resulted in improved survival and quality of life for people suffering from these diseases. The worldwide immunotherapy revenue is estimated at $613B for 2020 and is expected to grow by 11% to $275B by 2025. Despite the overwhelming success of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) for treating human disease, only two mAb have been approved for use in dogs. Currently available human antibody-based immunotherapies that cross-react with dog antigens and are rapidly rejected by the dog’s immune system rendering them ineffective. Development of entirely canine antibody-based immunotherapies is needed to provide effective, target-specific, treatments for dogs with cancer, infectious and inflammatory diseases.

The Challenges

Generation of non-immunogenic, fully canine antibody therapies to treat diseases in dogs that parallel those in humans is challenging. Existing competitive methodologies such as in silico design of canine antibodies or generation of transgenic, chimeric or caninized murine antibodies are expensive, technically challenging, time consuming, undergo validation at late stages of development and can induce anti-drug antibodies that limit their efficacy. Alternative approaches to generate canine antibodies against canine targets through dog immunization are unlikely to yield antibodies because of natural tolerance mechanisms. Although immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of human cancers and immune-related diseases, the lack of safe, effective, non-immunogenic, affordable and easily administered canine antibodies has yet to be achieved.

The Solution

CANIBODIES™ are fully canine antibody fragments that do not require costly, time-consuming caninization or affinity maturation, and are created to be precise, highly efficacious and non-immunogenic. Multiple, unique CANIBODIES™ can be rapidly isolated from our comprehensive scFv libraries during the first stage of development and subsequently selected for desired functionality and developability properties. CANIBODIES™ are highly versatile and can be further engineering into multiple delivery formats such as full-length canine IgGs (mAbs), BiTEs, and CAR-T therapeutics.

Using the CANIBODY™ platform, Vetigenics has built a portfolio of CANIBODY™ immunomodulators in various stages of production and testing to treat cancer, infections and immune-mediated chronic diseases.