CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Anokion SA, a Swiss biotechnology company focused on treating autoimmune disease by restoring normal immune tolerance, today announced the initiation of patient dosing in its Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate ANK-700 for the treatment of people with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The MoveS-it Study (Multiple Sclerosis Study of ANK-700 to Assess Safety and Immune Tolerance) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, first-in-human study designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of single and multiple ascending doses of ANK-700.

“Multiple sclerosis is a devastating disease that interferes with the brain’s ability to tell the body how to operate, with no curative options. Today’s treatments are primarily anti-inflammatory therapies and symptom management, which are ultimately ineffective in treating patients over the long-term,” said Deborah Geraghty, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Anokion. “We are thrilled to start this study with ANK-700, our second product candidate to enter clinical development in the last year. Backed by promising preclinical data in mouse models of MS, we believe ANK-700 has the potential to slow down and even stop disease progression in individuals with MS.”

MS is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord. ANK-700 aims to re-educate the immune system by inducing antigen-specific tolerance to myelin-based autoantigens in order to reduce neuroinflammation in the brain and spinal cord. The MoveS-it Study will enroll up to 40 patients at up to 10 sites across the United States. The primary endpoint of the trial is safety and tolerability, the secondary endpoint is pharmacokinetics (PK) of ANK-700, and other exploratory endpoints include assessments of immunological biomarker responses. Additional information about Anokion’s Phase 1 study of ANK-700 may be found at ClinicalTrials.gov, using Identifier NCT: NCT04602390.

About Anokion

Anokion SA is a Swiss biotechnology company that aims to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients suffering from autoimmune diseases by restoring normal immune tolerance. The company is focused on both prevalent and rare autoimmune diseases, including celiac disease, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. Anokion’s distinct approach leverages the company’s immune-based platform, which targets natural pathways in the liver to restore immune tolerance and address the underlying cause of autoimmune disease. For more information, please visit http://www.anokion.com/.

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