BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

High five for Arsanis

Arsanis finds neutralizing antibody against five Staphylococcus aureus toxins

February 12, 2015 8:00 AM UTC

Researchers at Arsanis Inc. and Adimab LLC have identified an antibody that simultaneously neutralizes five Staphylococcus aureus toxins - defying the odds of hitting such diverse structures by fishing out an exposed conserved patch. While Arsanis is moving this compound towards the clinic, Adimab is doubling down on the screening strategy and hopes it will yield cross-neutralizing antibodies for other indications as well.

Eszter Nagy, president and CEO of Arsanis, told BioCentury hitting multiple toxins together could extend protection against S. aureus to antibiotic-resistant strains, while preventing tissue damage caused by all the strains. The antibodies in clinical testing neutralize only one toxin, she said, but blocking the toxins together should produce much greater efficacy because the toxins act on different subsets of cells. ...