AFFiRiS is developing
highly specific therapeutics based on its proprietary
AFFITOPE/AFFISORB platform technology.
The term "AFFITOPEs" can be
explained as non-self epitopes used for self.
AFFITOPE-vaccines greatly facilitate the induction
of a desired antibody immune response.
Severe side effects, which have been generated
in clinical trials upon vaccination with self-antigens
are conceptual excluded. Therefore, excellent safety
profiles are expected for the upcoming clinical trials.
AFFiRiS uses the AFFITOPE technology for the development
of own products. The distinguishing AFFITOPE features
can be summarized as follows:
- AFFITOPEs mimic the structure of particular
natural epitopes in disease targets and are capable
of evoking therapeutic antibody responses.
- AFFITOPE-based vaccines are expected
to have outstanding advantages as compared to conventional
epitope-based vaccines. Conventional vaccines only
induce a functional antibody response if the natural
immunological tolerance towards self antigens is broken.
AFFITOPEs do not contain self-sequences and thus,
do not need to break tolerance. Therefore, AFFITOPE-based
vaccines can be used to induce a specific immune response
against pathological species of a given antigen without
inducing adverse side effects like autoimmunity.
AFFiRiS is furthermore developing an alternative
peptide-based therapeutic approach using the AFFISORB
technology. AFFISORB delivers specific ligands of pathological
molecules located in the blood stream. These ligands
are used as the key component of specific adsorber materials
in apheresis treatments. Upon binding to the AFFISORB
ligand, pathological molecules are specifically removed
from the blood. As apheresis is not the core business
of AFFiRiS, AFFISORB product candidates are offered
for licensing shortly after the patent applications
have been filed, respectively.
|
