Antidote Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with National Cancer Institute to Develop ATI-1013, a Novel Nicotine-Binding Antibody, for Reducing Lung Cancer in High Risk Smokers

ATI-1013 is a human, monoclonal antibody that sequesters nicotine in the blood. Studies in rodents show that following an injection of nicotine, ATI-1013 reduces nicotine levels in the brain by more than 90% which, in turn, reduces nicotine’s addictive effects. The clinical aim is to help smokers at elevated risk of developing smoking-induced lung cancer to stop or substantially reduce smoking.

The collaboration will be managed through NCI’s Division of Cancer Prevention PREVENT Cancer Preclinical Drug Development Program, a peer reviewed program which supports the best ideas in preclinical cancer prevention agent development. In partnership with ATI, PREVENT will fund and manage contract resources for the manufacturing, pre-IND development, and filing of an IND for ATI-1013. The program will be progressed based on achievement of interim milestones.

“This is an exciting and significant development for Antidote Therapeutics and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to work closely with the NCI’s Division of Cancer Prevention” says Matthew W. Kalnik, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of ATI. “This partnership provides a path forward to an IND for our first-in-class human anti-nicotine antibody, and subsequent clinical testing aimed at reducing the occurrence of smoking-induced lung cancer.”

Smoking is the leading cause of lung and smoking-related cancers, as well as contributing significantly to cardiovascular and pulmonary disease, and 16 million Americans suffer from smoking-related illness. Annually in the U.S., 480,000 people prematurely die from smoking -- more than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, illegal drugs (including opioid overdose), murders, and suicides combined.¹

For additional information on the NCI PREVENT Program, please visit: http://prevention.cancer.gov/programs-resources/programs/prevent

About Antidote Therapeutics, Inc.

Antidote Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company with a portfolio of first-in-class nicotine-blocking drugs to treat diseases caused or worsened by nicotine.

In addition to ATI-1013, the company has other product candidates that neutralize or eliminate nicotine in the blood. Results of a preclinical, proof-of-concept study of its nicotine-degrading enzyme, NicA2, were published recently in the journal, BMC Biotechnology², and validate the approach of using a nicotine-degrading enzyme to treat nicotine addiction and prevent relapse. For further information, please visit www.antidotetx.com.

Prior research on ATI-1013 was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA038877).

Antidote Therapeutics is currently seeking partnerships and funding for combating nicotine addiction and creating improved methods of smoking cessation. Interested parties may contact the company for further information.

¹ USHHS. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress, A Report of the Surgeon General (2014). www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports.

² https://bmcbiotechnol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12896-018-0457-7

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190207005433/en/