Oblique Therapeutics AB

STOCKHOLM, Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Oblique Therapeutics AB ("Oblique") announces that the company's research project on the NaV1.8 ion channel has reached an important milestone. After successfully completing the first stage of the project, where the Company's AbiProt technology is used to identify potential binding sites for therapeutic antibodies on the target protein, the project is now in the process of developing antibodies against NaV1.8. The ion chanel Nav 1.8 is a well established target of high importance in pain. In May, the company started a campaign to identify potential binding sites for antibodies using AbiProt, its proprietary discovery technology. This R&D effort has now been concluded and a number of potential binding sites have been identified. This is a crucial step in Oblique's mission to develop innovative therapeutics for patients with chronic pain. "In the scientific community there is a general agreement that TRPV1 and NaV 1.8 are the two most promising targets for new treatments against chronic pain. I'm therefore pleased that we have reached this important milestone in our NaV 1.8 project that was only started in the late spring this year. I'm convinced that our advanced TRPV1 program with two highly promising classes of molecules together with the NaV 1.8 project will position Oblique Therapeutics among the leaders in the pain field. Moreover, this achievement also represents further validation of our AbiProt technology", said Christer Nordstedt, CEO of Oblique Therapeutics. The goal of Oblique is to invent and develop drug candidates that are potent analgesics while avoiding addiction and unwanted side effects. The development of antibody candidates to NaV1.8 will be carried out in close collaboration with leading experts in the field. The company shall release more information about the project as the research initiative progresses further. For further information, please contact: Christer Nordstedt CEO, Oblique Therapeutics AB E-post: [email protected] About Oblique Therapeutics Oblique Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing antibody-based therapies to address major unmet medical need in chronic pain indications. The company strives to improve patients' quality of life through cutting-edge research and innovative solutions. Christer Nordstedt MD PhD CEO This information was brought to you by Cision The following files are available for download: WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

Lilly first partnered with Oblique in November. Eli Lilly has expanded its partnership with Oblique Therapeutics, adding a second strand to an alliance focused on using the AbiProt platform to discover antibodies against high-value targets.Oblique uses AbiProt to identify therapeutic antibodies that bind to a target protein with high specificity and affinity and, in many cases, can also be programmed to have a particular pharmacological function. The platform combines microfluidics and proteases as molecular probes to find antibody-binding sites on native-state proteins. Oblique can aim the technology at soluble and membrane-bound proteins.The platform, which provides sequence and structure information for epitope identification, has shown promise when applied to a hard-to-drug pain target. A 2021 paper in Science Advances described the use of the platform to generate antibodies against the TRPV1 channel.Other companies have developed small molecule antagonists of TRPV1, only to see side effects put pay to plans to pursue signs of efficacy. In theory, antibodies could bind to other parts of the molecule and thereby block the pain mechanism without interfering with the heat sensor linked to the side effects. Oblique used the platform to find an antibody with that binding profile.    Later, the biotech hired Olof Larsson, Ph.D., as its chief scientific officer. Larsson’s earlier positions include a stint as Lilly’s CSO in pain and migraine and scientific site leader, neuroscience. The Big Pharma has kept working on pain as its peers have pulled back. Oblique’s platform is also applicable to other areas of interest to Lilly, including oncology, and neither party has disclosed the target or its application. Lilly first partnered with Oblique in November 2023. The latest agreement adds a second target to the pact. Oblique is partnering with Lilly Catalyze360-ExploR&D, a program that makes the drugmaker’s R&D skills available to biotechs, and could generate milestones and royalties. Oblique CEO Christer Nordstedt set out what the deal means to the company in a statement.“We are delighted to expand the collaboration between our companies and together create new science to address the unmet medical need in severe diseases,” Oblique CEO Christer Nordstedt said in an Aug. 22 release. “This collaboration with Lilly is of great importance to us and will further strengthen our position within the antibody discovery space.”

Eli Lilly and Oblique Therapeutics announced Thursday they are expanding their collaboration and adding a second "high-value target" to their antibody discovery efforts. Building on their initial partnership from last November, the latest deal leverages Oblique's AbiProt technology to generate antibodies against challenging protein targets.Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed, but Oblique will work with Lilly's external innovation arm Catalyze360-ExploR&D."We are delighted to expand the collaboration between our companies and together create new science to address the unmet medical need in severe diseases," said Oblique CEO Christer Nordstedt, adding the deal "will further strengthen our position within the antibody discovery space."Oblique's AbiProt platform, which uses microfluidics and proteases as molecular probes, has shown promise at pinpointing antibody-binding sites on proteins in their natural state. A 2021 study published in Science Advances described the platform's ability to design antibodies against traditionally "undruggable" targets, including the TRPV1 ion channel implicated in pain signaling.