Dr. Sylviane Muller - Presentation Abstract

RNS Number : 3468G

Immupharma PLC

06 May 2014

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RNS REACH*                                                                                              6  MAY 2014

Dr. Sylviane Muller - Presentation Abstract from 2014 European Lupus Conference

ImmuPharma PLC (LSE: IMM), ("ImmuPharma" or the "Company"), the specialist drug discovery and development company, provides a summary of the presentation given by Dr. Slyviane Muller at the European Lupus Conference which recently took place in Athens, Greece.

The "European Lupus Meeting" is a major forum for all people interested in the disease: with approximately 800 physicians of various disciplines (internal medicine, rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology), health professionals, regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical industry and patient representatives.

Dr. Sylviane Muller is the Research Director at CNRS, Strasbourg, France and the key inventor of Lupuzor, (also known scientifically as P140). The title of the session was called "A novel way of immunomodulation in lupus".  

Her presentation focused partly on the on the highly competitive and efficacious mode of mechanism of Lupuzor^TM, ImmuPharma'spotential blockbuster drug for Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease. Lupuzor^TM has received Special Protocol Assessment and Fast Track Designation from the FDA for a Phase III trial.

Dr. Sylviane Muller's Abstract : Summary

"In the pipeline of molecules with a potential for treating lupus patients, the P140 peptide holds a lot of promise. P140 is a 21-mer linear peptide (sequence 131-151) derived from the spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoprotein U1-70K. It contains a phosphoserine residue at position 140. In a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIb study, P140/Lupuzor was safe and met its primary efficacy end points in lupus patients (Zimmer et al., ARD 2013). These results confirm data generated in MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice in which the preclinical studies were conducted (Monneaux et al., EJI 2003; Schall et al., J Autoimmunity 2012). In this setting, as in human, P140 was shown to behave as an immunomodulator and not as an immunosuppressant. In a step further, our studies demonstrated that the P140 peptide mechanism of action does involve autophagy processes. In a lupus context in which macroautophagy is affected (Gros et al., Autophagy 2012), P140 readily binds HSPA8/HSC70 chaperone proteins (Page et al., PLoS ONE 2009) and reduces autophagic flux in MRL/lpr B cells (Page et al., ARD 2011). We recently showed that a selective form of autophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), is a key target of P140. By interfering with this particular pathway, P140 peptide may affect the endogenous (auto)antigen processing and the peptide loading to MHCII molecules, and as a consequence, induces a lower activation of autoreactive T and B cells, and a reduction of autoantibodies secreted by plasma cells (Muller and Wallace, Lupus 2014). Our recent results shed light on mechanisms by which P140 can modulate lupus disease and by which it may operate in humans affected by this disorder that affect more than 5 million individuals in the world."

 For further information please contact:

ImmuPharma PLC  (www.immupharma.com)
Dimitri Dimitriou, Chief Executive Officer	[phone]
Richard Warr, Chairman	[phone]
Lisa Baderoon, Head of Investor Relations	[phone]
Panmure Gordon & Co	[phone]
Hugh Morgan, Fred Walsh

Notes to Editors

ImmuPharma

ImmuPharma is focusing on developing novel medicines with high sales potential in specialist markets with serious unmet need.  ImmuPharma has five drug candidates in development, two platform technologies and approximately 70 patents.  The Company's most advanced drug candidate, Lupuzor^TM a potential blockbuster drug for Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease has received the approval from the US FDA to enter phase III with a Special Protocol Assessment and "Fast Track" designation.  Most recent news confirmed a five year £50m funding facility from Darwin Strategic and the establishment of a Scientific Advisory Board to provide scientific advice and support for Lupuzor's pivotal phase III programme.  ImmuPharma was founded and is led by a commercially focused Board and management team with extensive experience. www.immupharma.com

Dr. Sylviane Muller, Research Director at CNRS & Co-founder of ImmuPharma France

Sylviane Muller is Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Strasbourg (USIAS), holder of the chair of immunology and therapeutic chemistry, Distinguished class Research Director  and head of the 'Immunologie et chimie thérapeutiques' unit of the "Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique" (CNRS), the largest fundamental research organization in  Europe. She obtained her PhD at the University of Strasbourg. For two years, she was a post-doctoral fellow in Freiburg (Germany) at the Max-Planck Institute for Immunobiology. Her field of expertise covers autoimmunity, immuno-peptides and synthetic vaccines. She has made 23 patented discoveries and is widely published (330 publications and reviews/chapters). She was also a founder of Neosystem, now Polypeptide-France, a leading peptide development and manufacturing company. She is the key inventor of ImmuPharma's Lupus lead drug candidate Lupuzor and has been working in this field for more than ten years.

About the Euopean Lupus Meeting : 2014

The 9th Eurolupus Meeting was recently held in Athens, Greece. This is the premier European Lupus Meeting with approximately 800 physicians of various disciplines (internal medicine, rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology), nurses and patients.

The scientific program includes basic, translational and clinical sessions as well as original research presented by an international faculty of opinion leaders in lupus. In addition to the main program, there was a program for patients coordinated by Lupus Europe, the European lupus patient organization.

Attendees come to the meeting to be updated in the latest developments, including the products, services and treatments available in the marketplace. The meeting also includes satellite symposia and other lupus-related educational and promotional activities. www.lupus2014.org

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