Citryll – a dutch biotech company – is taking a new approach to treat autoimmune and other human inflammatory diseases like lupus, vasculitis, pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and organ damage due to sepsis, by targeting and inhibiting the source of auto-antigens and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) derived toxic molecules instead of broadly targeting inflammation or acquired immunity.
Citryll targets Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NET) formation with a human antibody CIT-013 that interferes with the formation of NETs as well as promotes the clearance of NETs. A range of human diseases with potential for SLE, RA, vasculitis, asthma, IPF and other indications can be treated with CIT-013.
A first human study started in the summer of 2021 starting with a Single Ascending Dose (SAD) study in healthy volunteers. GMP production and formulation of the antibody drug product was carried out by Citryll’s CMC partner Lonza and CTA enabling studies were finalised in Spring 2021.
Sjoerd will work closely with key development partners to expand the therapeutic utilities of CIT-013, its clinical development candidate and derivatives.
Citryll today announced that the first healthy volunteer has been enrolled and dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of CIT-013.
Sjoerd will work closely with key development partners to expand the therapeutic utilities of CIT-013, its clinical development candidate and derivatives.
Citryll today announced that the first healthy volunteer has been enrolled and dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of CIT-013.
Citryll’s first in class antibody drug candidate CIT-013 for autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases is beginning its bioanalytical phase at Ardena, a specialist pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO).
With extreme sadness Citryll announces that Jos Raats, co-founder of Citryll and co-inventor of Citryll’s NETosis antagonist antibodies including CIT-013, has passed away in Buenos Aires Argentina on Tuesday the 16th of March 2022.
Jos was a dedicated, hardworking, caring scientist, and inspiring entrepreneur with no fear of any difficult challenge and a driving force behind different biotech companies. Jos died much too early at the top of his game while doing what he liked, and we will miss him immensely. The work ahead of us will not be the same without Jos, but we will keep on doing our utmost best to make him proud and progress Citryll’s drug candidate CIT-013 through clinical development whilst remaining focussed on bringing CIT-013 to patients with unmet medical need.
Jos has been involved in scientific research for more than 25 years at the University of Nijmegen, the Wellcome/CRC Institute in Cambridge (UK) and at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis (USA). He has been CEO of the ModiQuest group of companies since 2004. Since 1994 he has worked in the recombinant antibody, and citrullination field studying citrullinated autoantigens, anti-citrullinated histone antibodies, protein citrullination, and antibodies against various other targets. He is co-inventor of the gold standard, and early diagnostic test for Rheumatoid arthritis (anti-CCP test). This test is now used by clinicians to diagnose this debilitating autoimmune disease, serving patients worldwide.
The anti-CCP work culminated in the therapeutic programs that formed the foundation of clinical stage biopharma company Citryll, whom he served on the board of directors until his unexpected passing. In the early days of developing the discovery of the NETosis antagonist, as one does with any first in class therapeutic biotech, we spent long days with Jos and many plane trips (with occasionally too many margueritas) discussing how to progress our surprise discovery into a clinical drug development program. Was it real was a central question to us, and yes it was real! The many discussions with European and American researchers, clinicians, pharma colleagues and interested investors brought us where Citryll is now, and we are deeply saddened his involvement with Citryll has come to a sudden stop.
ModiQuest Research an antibody R&D services company, now part of IPA, was another company built by Jos and his team and more recently Absano developing antibody diagnostics, imaging agents and therapeutics for cancer and joint diseases.
He loved to combine science with traveling, hence his love for Buenos Aires where he started his first collaborations in the field of therapeutic antibody discovery. He always cared for his co-workers and the teams he built including in difficult personal times for one of us. We are proud to have known him and very thankful for been given the opportunity to work with him on an exciting and promising discovery and develop this discovery into a potential medicine for patients suffering from serious ailments.
We wish his family, loved ones and co-workers all the strength needed for the difficult period ahead.
Citryll BV
Renato Chirivi, CTO
Helmuth van Es, CEO
With ModiQuest headed by Jos, the founders of Citryll.