HpVac Announces New Animal Data of its Lead Compound

– Major milestone for accelerating the development of HpVac-13 in allergic diseases

Geneva, Switzerland, October 18, 2022 – HpVac SA, a company developing novel preventive and therapeutic first-line therapies against allergic and inflammatory diseases, today announced new data on its lead compound HpVac-13 for the treatment and prevention of asthmatic attacks in an animal disease model of allergic asthma.

Based on the observation that certain components of the human gut microbiome confer protection against various diseases, HpVac has developed HpVac-13, a molecule harnessing the beneficial potential of some microbial species. The compound is a patented, recombinant version of a naturally occurring immunomodulatory protein and is associated with strong epidemiological evidence of protecting humans against asthma and other allergic diseases.

The Company now disclosed the results of testing the compound in a common animal disease model of allergic asthma. Mice sensitized intranasally with whole-body house dust mite extract – a procedure which has been shown to reproduce hallmarks of human allergic asthma, including Th2-driven allergic inflammation and pronounced airway hyperresponsiveness – were treated with HpVac-13 and subsequently challenged with the antigen. As compared to untreated controls, treated mice demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in airway hyperresponsiveness. In addition, a reduction in bronchoalveolar lavage total cell count (BAL TCC), including a reduction of recruitment of eosinophils into BAL, was observed. Eosinophils are involved in the development of severe asthma or asthma exacerbation and used as a biomarker for asthma. Moreover, treated mice showed a remarkable reduction in mucus-producing cells and an improvement of lung function through reduction in airway hyperresponsiveness.

“We are very pleased to have demonstrated that our compound significantly reduces asthma symptoms in this standard…