OSLO, Norway, Nov. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nykode Therapeutics ASA (OSE: NYKD), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel immunotherapies, today announced new findings related to its APC-targeted inverse vaccine platform’s efficacy in treating autoimmune disease at the annual PEGS Europe conference in Barcelona.

The data presented emphasize the role of antigen-presenting cell (APC) targeting in achieving therapeutic effectiveness, particularly in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of human multiple sclerosis (MS). Findings from both therapeutic and preventive applications support the platform’s potential in providing targeted, effective treatment for MS, an autoimmune disease that affects approximately 2.8 million people worldwide, with a high annual economic burden and a significant unmet medical need for new treatments.

Nykode’s latest data confirm that APC targeting by the inverse vaccine is essential for achieving effective therapeutic outcomes, demonstrating superior efficacy over a non-targeted vaccine or antigen alone. When applied therapeutically, a new version of Nykode’s inverse vaccine provides robust disease protection in a relapsing-remitting EAE model which better reflect the relapsing-remitting disease in human MS. This result builds upon prior findings and includes efficacy of an alternative central nervous system autoantigen, broadening the inverse vaccine’s potential applicability in MS treatment. Aligned with these outcomes, mice treated with the Nykode inverse vaccine exhibit a marked reduction in disease-associated inflammatory cytokine release following disease induction. This reduction aligns with mitigated disease severity and inflammation, highlighting the therapeutic potential of the Nykode inverse vaccine in immune disorders.

“These data provide valuable insights into the role of APC-targeted vaccines in delivering effective therapeutic responses in different EAE models, relevant to the clinical treatment of MS and supports the broader potential of our technology in inducing tolerance in multiple settings,” said Agnete Fredriksen, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder of Nykode. “We are pleased to share these findings at PEGS Europe and to further explore APC-targeted approaches for autoimmune diseases.”

About Nykode Therapeutics

Nykode Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel immunotherapies with a focus on the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Nykode’s modular vaccine technology specifically targets antigens to antigen presenting cells (APC), employed with their cancer vaccines to induce a broad, strong and long-lasting antigen specific immune response, which correlates with clinical responses in cancer patients.