- Citryll’s CIT-013 could offer new treatment options for various human diseases including lupus,
vasculitis, pulmonary fibrosis and organ damage due to sepsis - Lonza’s in silico preclinical services used to assess manufacturability and immunogenicity
- Lonza to supply final drug product in finished format for Citryll’s clinical studies
Oss, The Netherlands and Basel, Switzerland, 9 September 2019 – The Netherlands-based biotech Citryll and CDMO Lonza announced a partnership to develop and manufacture Citryll’s tACPA therapeutic antibody CIT-013. CIT-013 targets Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (NET) biology, and could offer new treatment options for a range of diseases where NETs play a role in disease pathology including autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis and others. By targeting NET formation and NETs directly, CIT-013 does not broadly target inflammation or acquired immunity, but rather targets the source of autoantigens, proinflammatory as well as toxic NET components.
“With our initial funding secured we’re confident going into the next phase of the development of CIT-013. Having access to
Lonza’s expertise in manufacturing and regulatory pathways will help us move to the clinic as efficiently as possible, bringing
new therapeutic options to those suffering from illnesses where NETs induce the pathology including autoimmune diseases
such as lupus.”, Helmuth van Es, CEO of Citryll said.
“Citryll is at an exciting time in their development program and we will be supporting them to help ensure they are fully
prepared for a first in human clinical trial of their new therapy. Early-stage companies are an important part of our business
and we have the tools and technologies to help de-risk their candidate. Ensuring solutions for the lifecycle of their product
together with business models in sync with their funding all contribute to reducing the risks for growing companies.” Karen
Fallen, Head of Mammalian and Microbial Development and Manufacturing, Lonza said.
About NETosis
NETosis is the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, a recently discovered function of neutrophils, part of the innate immune system. Citryll’s lead programme, targets the formation of NETs and its pathological consequences.