Abivax molecule developed by Institut Curie passes clinical trials, paving the way for historic breakthrough - Carnot Curie Cancer
Abivax, a company specialising in treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases, has announced very positive phase 3 results for obefazimod, a molecule developed by the Institut Carnot Curie Cancer.
‘It is a source of immense pride to see that a molecule designed and synthesised at the Institut Curie has successfully passed clinical trials,’ says Dr Cécile Campagne, Director of Commercialisation and Industrial Partnerships at the Institut Curie and Deputy Director of Carnot Curie Cancer. ‘This success, made possible thanks to the support of Truffle Capital and Sofinnova Partners, illustrates the strength of our technology transfer strategy and confirms the driving role of French research for the benefit of patients.’
Founded in 2009, Abivax is the result of collaboration between the ‘Chemistry and Modelling for Cancer Biology’ unit at the Institut Curie (CNRS/Inserm/Université Paris-Saclay), headed by Dr Florence Mahuteau-Betzer, and the Institut de Génétique Moléculaire in Montpellier. The biotech company develops therapies that exploit the body's natural regulatory mechanisms to stabilise the immune response in chronic inflammatory diseases.
Its flagship candidate, obefazimod, was discovered thanks to the Institut Curie's chemical library, which contains more than 10,000 molecules. Abivax has just announced positive results from its phase 3 ABTECT-1 and ABTECT-2 trials, conducted on patients with active ulcerative colitis. By modulating the expression of microRNA-124, a key regulator of inflammation, obefazimod has achieved remissions, opening up new therapeutic prospects for a disease that affects 5 to 7 million people worldwide.
« Voir cette molécule offrir une véritable promesse de traitement est extrêmement gratifiant », souligne le Dr Mahuteau-Betzer. À la suite de ces résultats, Abivax a levé 747,5 millions de dollars en quelques heures, confirmant sa place parmi les leaders mondiaux. Depuis sa création, la société développe sous licence de l’Institut Curie, du CNRS et de l’université de Montpellier un portefeuille de plus de 20 brevets, dont plusieurs issus de codéveloppements avec l’Institut Curie.
