Novel First-In-Class Immunotherapeutic APVO210 Features Unique Mechanism of Action Delivering IL-10

Aptevo Therapeutics (Nasdaq:APVO), a biotechnology company focused on developing novel oncology and hematology therapeutics, today announced the publication of preclinical data in Frontiers in Immunology highlighting the activity of APVO210 as a potent and selective immunosuppressive agent with potential utility in the treatment of multiple autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, such as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, graft-versus-host disease, lupus, as well as other diseases where there is antigen-driven activation of T lymphocyte-mediated disease.

As quoted in the press release:

APVO210 is a bispecific antibody candidate built on Aptevo’s ADAPTIR™ therapeutic protein platform. It is designed to modulate and suppress pathological immune activation without lymphocyte activation by selectively delivering a modified form of IL-10 to antigen presenting cells via CD86 without stimulating IL-10 responses on resting and activated lymphocytes.

Cytokines are pleiotropic and function by promoting or suppressing a variety of cellular functions, including inflammatory responses.  Unregulated inflammation is believed to be responsible for a variety of chronic and acute inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.  The cytokine IL-10 is known to play a key role in suppressing inflammation and, as a result, has been studied extensively by other companies in different clinical trials for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.  Unfortunately, the results of these studies have been disappointing.  This may be due to the undesired stimulatory properties of IL-10, which exerts stimulatory effects on lymphocytes, promoting B-cell proliferation, immunoglobulin production and cytotoxic T-cell function, thus potentially reducing its overall therapeutic utility for immunosuppression.

Click here to read the full press release.