Imcyse is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of a new class of active, specific immunotherapies for the treatment of severe, chronic autoimmune diseases. The company’s unique technology platform has the potential to address a wide range of indications in the vast field of immunology. It is based on the administration of modified synthetic peptides - ImotopesTM, which specifically block improper immune responses. Imcyse’s approach, sustained over time, helps to prevent and treat diseases with no current therapeutic alternative and to potentially cure patients without impairing immune defense.
How does Imcyse's technology work ?
ImotopesTM: a radically new approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases
Imcyse’s innovative technology represents the next generation of immunotherapies. Based on the company’s proprietary platform, Imcyse develops synthetic peptides – ImotopesTM – that specifically block immune responses that cause immune mediated diseases.
ImotopesTM are designed and synthetically produced by combining the sequence of a selected HLA class T cell epitope, which is causally linked to a certain immune mediated disease, together with a natural amino-acids motif showing oxido-reductase activity. The injection of ImotopesTM generates ImotopeTM-specific cytolytic CD4 T cells (cCD4) capable of inducing apoptosis of antigen-presenting cells (APC) that activate pathogenic lymphocytes responsible for tissue damage of the diseased organ. ImotopesTM-induced cytolytic T cells specifically eliminate antigen-presenting cells and autoantigen specific lymphocytes, thereby avoiding autoimmune attacks without affecting other functions of the immune system.
Imcyse’s technology is designed to intervene and stop an autoimmune response at a time when damaged tissue can still regenerate or be used in combination with current treatment options to provide a potentially curative treatment approach to severe, chronic diseases. This innovative approach has been validated by numerous successfully completed preclinical and clinical proof-of-principle studies.
Pfizer takes equity stake in Imcyse as part of the recently announced Rheumatoid Arthritis license agreement
Major existing shareholders participated in the round
Proceeds to advance Imcyse’s pipeline of first-in-class targeted disease modifying immunotherapeutics