Qureight Ltd and Avalyn Pharma Inc have announced a strategic partnership in progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF). The partnership begins with the MIST study, a phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of AP01 (inhaled pirfenidone) in PPF patients.

This partnership marks the first time deep-learning imaging technologies have been used in a PPF clinical study. Qureight’s technology will assess a MIST study clinical outcome measure. Qureight’s Core Imaging Platform technology will also be extended across multiple Avalyn studies.

PPF is characterised by progressive scarring of lung tissue leading to worsening symptoms, diminished quality of life and a poor prognosis. There is no cure for PPF and current oral antifibrotic therapies can slow disease progression but have significant side effects restricting their duration of use and dosing.

Avalyn’s lead programme, AP01, is an inhaled formulation of pirfenidone studied in the MIST phase 2b study in PPF. Avalyn’s inhaled approach aims to reduce systemic exposure and improve efficacy by delivering medication directly to the site of disease.

The Qureight platform links imaging closely to clinical endpoints. This is vital for PPF where diagnosis, monitoring and clinical development can be complex and data fragmented. Avalyn and Qureight expect to release additional promising data analyses using Qureight technology at future medical conferences.

Howard M Lazarus, CMO of Avalyn, said: “Given the complex nature of PPF, we’ve made it a priority to leverage cutting-edge technology to measure treatment response in our ongoing MIST study. This collaboration with Qureight will allow us to measure changes in fibrosis volume more sensitively.”

Dr Muhunthan Thillai, CEO of Qureight, said: “As a lung disease doctor, I’m excited about the future of inhaled therapies in treating progressive fibrotic lung diseases.  Partnering with Avalyn on the MIST study is an important opportunity to see our Core Imaging Platform used to support PPF patients.”

Grifols, a global healthcare company and leading manufacturer of plasma-derived medicines, has announced a collaboration with biotechnology start-up FcR Therapeutics to develop recombinant nanobodies for treating autoimmune diseases.

These nanobodies are specialised antibody fragments designed to inhibit the activity of Fc receptors on immune cells.

Fc receptors play a crucial role in immune responses. Grifols will support FcR Therapeutics, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, by contributing its extensive knowledge of immunoglobulins, the human immune system and recombinant proteins.

This collaboration aims to develop therapies that restrain Fc receptors that can help regulate excessive immune activity in autoimmune patients. Patients with autoimmune conditions often experience overactive immune systems that attack healthy tissue.

Suppressing Fc receptors can mitigate this excessive activity providing a targeted approach to treatment. Immunoglobulins and their immunomodulatory effects already help treat autoimmune diseases like CIDP, ITP and GBS.

Dr Jörg Schüttrumpf, Grifols Chief Scientific Innovation Officer, stated: “Grifols is excited to contribute its deepening knowledge of therapeutic antibody development, including recombinants, to FcR Therapeutics in its work to treat immune system disorders with unmet medical needs.”

He also emphasised the importance of enhancing Grifols’ internal innovation portfolio with complementary external capabilities to develop new treatments.

Mark de Boer, CEO of FcR Therapeutics, added: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Grifols, enabling us to develop key therapeutics for autoimmune patients around the world.” He believes that targeting Fc receptors with their nanobody approach will significantly impact the treatment of autoimmune diseases and improve patients’ lives.

Grifols’ collaboration with FcR Therapeutics is part of its commitment to innovation in autoimmune disease therapeutics. This partnership reflects Grifols’ strategy to strengthen its robust innovation pipeline across both early and late-stage initiatives.