Salute e Benessere
Commit Biologics appoints Mikkel Wandahl Pedersen as Chief Scientific Officer
Prior to Nykode, Dr Pedersen served as CSO of Symphogen (Ballerup, Denmark ), where he held broad R&D responsibilities for the antibody discovery platform, lead discovery, pre-clinical as well as translational pharmacology, and advanced a number of products through IND studies and into the clinic. Following the acquisition of Symphogen by Servier, he played a critical role in the integration of the R&D team.
. said Dr Laursen
Commit Biologics is advancing development of its Bispecific Complement Engaging (BiCE™) technology, which is designed to potently activate the complement system to induce highly selective killing of tumor cells or cells implicated in autoimmune disease. BiCE uses single domain antibodies that bind to the complement protein C1q, consequently directing the complement system in a highly targeted way against cells of interest.
Dr Pedersen has extensive experience in antibody-based drug discovery and development, having contributed to the development of numerous oncology antibody programs all the way from ideation, including eight clinical-stage programs. He has also been involved in the development of several vaccine programs, including COVID-19 vaccines, an HPV16 cancer vaccine and a personalized cancer vaccine. Furthermore, he has been instrumental in multiple pre-clinical and discovery programs in oncology, autoimmune and infectious diseases. He holds a PhD in cancer biology from the University of Copenhagen and is a co-author of over 40 peer-reviewed publications.
Commit Biologics (Commit) is a pioneer in activating the complement system to kill specific target cells, with applications in cancers and autoimmune diseases. Spun out of Aarhus University, and building on more than three decades of research, Commit's Bispecific Complement Engaging (BiCE™) platform can supercharge a conventional monoclonal antibody to activate the complement system more effectively. This is achieved by combining single domain antibodies that engage C1q, the starting point for the complement activation cascade, with an antibody that binds to a cellular target. The modular approach of the BiCE™ technology can be used to develop therapeutics across multiple tumor-associated antigens and immune cell targets. Complement is a largely untapped aspect of the body's natural immune system that leverages both the direct cytolytic activity of complement along with its ability to bridge recruitment and activation of both innate and adaptive immune cells – a new approach to killing cells which can be used in combination or on a standalone basis. Commit is backed by major investors including Bioqube Ventures and Novo Holdings.
The complement system is part of the body's immune system that has previously been largely untapped therapeutically. The activation of the classical complement pathway, which has a role in health for pathogen defense, begins with the engagement of C1q to antibodies that coat the cell surface and ends with the activation of a cytolytic complement complex directly leading to cell lysis. However, current monoclonal antibodies developed for therapeutic purposes have structural restraints that hinder effective engagement to C1q, thus limiting complement mediated cytotoxicity and other complement mediated effector functions. This, plus the presence of natural cell bound complement inhibitors that are upregulated in cancer, and low target densities, make conventional therapeutic antibodies poor complement activators. Commit's BiCE™ technology was developed to overcome these barriers, to harness the power of the complement system and direct it towards tumor and immune cells for therapeutic applications. Unleashing this power in a highly targeted way with Commit's technology potentially allows for a broad therapeutic index and the development of highly effective treatments.
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