Targeting Calnexin to Treat Cancer and Inflammation
Albatroz Therapeutics is developing first-in-class antibody therapeutics targeting glycosylated Calnexin, a cell-surface target that drives pathological tissue remodeling, to treat solid tumors and inflammatory diseases.
Our scienceA Unique Target Expressed on the Surface of Diseased Cells
Calnexin’s normal function is inside the cell, where it helps proteins fold. Under the stress of cancer or chronic inflammation, cells glycosylate Calnexin and move it to the surface, where it cuts the bonds holding the extracellular matrix (ECM) together. A degraded ECM allows tumors to grow and spread to other organs. The same mechanism degrades the synovial lining and cartilage in arthritic joints, as well as the lining of the gastrointestinal tract.
Glycosylated Calnexin is highly expressed on the surface of diseased cells, but has not been detected on healthy cells. This makes it an attractive target: our antibodies bind to diseased tissue and leave the rest of the body alone.
Two Programs, One Mechanism
On diseased cells, surface Calnexin drives tumor growth and metastasis in cancer, and tissue damage in chronic inflammation. Both have high unmet medical need, and no approved therapy today directly blocks tissue degradation.
Oncology
An antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for gastrointestinal and other difficult-to-treat solid tumors.
Inflammation
Antibodies that block tissue degradation in arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Approved immunosuppressants control inflammatory signaling, but none blocks the degradation itself.