Therapeutics

Obesity & Cardiometabolic Diseases

Developing Breakthrough Antibody Therapeutics for Obesity and Cardiometabolic Diseases

We are developing breakthrough therapeutics for treating obesity and related cardiometabolic diseases to help people achieve high quality, durable weight loss and better overall metabolic health. Our pipeline is focused on highly validated targets within the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily.

Activin E (IBIO-610)
Myostatin & Activin A Bispecific
Myostatin (IBIO-600)

Beyond the TGF-β superfamily, through our collaboration with AstralBio, Inc., iBio is developing novel engineered antibody agonists targeting the Amylin Receptor, a validated GPCR target, potentially offering additional benefits over GLP-1 obesity therapeutics.

Our therapeutic candidates are designed to engage multiple biological pathways orthogonal to GLP-1, including inhibition of signals causing fat storage and inhibition of negative regulators of muscle growth, as well as selective activation of the amylin receptor. IBIO-610 targeting of Activin E may enable fat-specific weight loss and may also provide a possible therapy to help patients keep weight off after losing it with a GLP-1 receptor agonists. By “inhibiting the inhibitors” with a Myostatin and Activin A bispecific antibody we aim to help patients retain and build muscle mass while losing fat mass during and after weight loss with GLP-1 receptor agonists. Amylin-based agonists may enable improved tolerability or synergistic weight loss with Activin E and Myostatin x Activin A antibodies. Although current GLP-1s have led to significant weight loss and improved health for many clinically obese patients, a new generation of therapeutics is needed to overcome their shortcomings. Our pipeline aims to solve the problems of loss of muscle mass while on treatment, inconvenient dosing, and side effects that lead some patients to discontinue therapy.

Activin E

Along with Myostatin, we’re targeting Activin E, another member of the TGF-β superfamily. Rare loss of function mutations in the gene encoding Activin E have been associated with reduced abdominal fat and reduced risk of cardiometabolic disease.

IBIO-610 Potential Benefits and Differentiation

First-in-class Activin E blocking antibody; a novel mechanism for pharmacological intervention
Fat-selective weight loss with potential to complement or offer an alternative to GLP-1s
Compatibility with anti-myostatin for bispecific development

Why Myostatin and Activin A?

Myostatin is a protein expressed by muscle cells suppressors of muscle growth in humans. We are developing the first antibodies targeting this pathway, specifically designed for the treatment of obesity.

Myostatin x Activin A Bispecific Potential Benefits and Differentiation

Long-acting, first-in-class bispecific antibody
Simultaneously inhibits myostatin and Activin A
Potent obesity treatment capable of generating pronounced muscle growth
Treatment for pulmonary hypertension in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, (PH-HfpEF) the most common type of heart failure
Bispecific enables highly selective inhibition of multiple inhibitors, unlike ligand trap approaches, which may block additional signaling molecules

IBIO-600 Potential Benefits and Differentiation

Long-acting, first-in-class antibody targeting myostatin
Dosing infrequent as twice a year
Increased lean mass and reduced fat mass as evidenced by our exploratory study

Amylin

Expanding beyond the TGF-β superfamily, iBio and its partner AstralBio have developed a novel engineered antibody agonist selectively targeting the amylin receptor. It works through different pathways in the brain than current GLP-1 treatments for obesity, which may offer benefits for weight loss and improve patients’ tolerability to therapy.

Potential Benefits and Differentiation

Prolonged feeling of fullness after eating to reduce food cravings
Enhanced weight control without weight-loss plateaus
Better therapeutic tolerability
Longer duration of action