US Patent Issued for iBio’s Method of Boosting Anti-fibrotic Endostatin-derived Peptides

iBio has received a U.S. patent for its method of increasing the amount and quality of endostatin-derived peptides generated from the company’s plant-based FastPharming protein production system.

These peptides, which have been shown to possess strong anti-fibrotic or anti-scarring properties, make up part of IBIO-100, an experimental therapy that iBio is currently developing for the treatment of fibrotic disorders, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and systemic scleroderma.

The patent (No. 10,844,392), titled “Materials and Methods for Producing Endostatin Fusion Polypeptides in Plant Cells,” covers a total of 19 claims with detailed instructions on how to enhance the production and quality of these peptides in plants, and it will allow iBio to retain the exclusive intellectual rights over these methods until June 2036.

“This patent, and the technologies it covers, advances our work on therapeutic candidates for treating fibrotic disorders by increasing the number of antifibrotic peptide variants that we may select for clinical development,” Tom Isett, chairman and CEO of iBio, said in a press release.

“iBio can also apply certain claims to other IgG [immunoglobulin G]-based molecules manufactured using our FastPharming System, thereby creating the opportunity to secure additional intellectual property based upon composition of matter,” Isett added.

Endostatin is an extracellular matrix component that is known to possess strong anti-cancer properties and to inhibit the growth of cells lining blood vessels. Of note, the extracellular matrix is the network of proteins and other molecules that surrounds and supports cells in tissues.

When given orally to animal models, endostatin-derived peptides were able to halt and even reverse tissue scarring, according to a study published in 2012, by Carol Feghali-Bostwick, PhD, from the Medical University of South Carolina, and colleagues. Following these observations, iBio acquired the licenses and intellectual rights over these patented compounds from Feghali-Bostwick and started developing its own endostatin-derived peptides.

IBIO-100 resulted from the fusion of these anti-fibrotic endostatin-derived peptides with a portion of human immunoglobulin G1, the most common subclass of antibodies circulating in the blood.

In preclinical studies, IBIO-100 was found to be effective at reducing tissue scarring in a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis, as well as in human lung tissues.

The company is now planning to conduct additional studies next year to support the submission of an investigational new drug application for IBIO-100 so it can be authorized to start clinical trials.