Reviving oral tolerance

Autoimmune startup Androclus Therapeutics aims to rekindle interest in oral tolerance therapies with its AT-001 dnaJP1 peptide against proinflammatory proteins in rheumatoid arthritis. Although AT-001 missed its target using an unconventional primary endpoint in a Phase II trial, Androclus says the data show the compound is active against the disease, with a benign safety profile.

A number of companies, most notably AutoImmune Inc., have tried to induce tolerance via oral therapies and failed. According to Androclus co-founder and Chairman Salvo Albani, AT-001 is different from these prior compounds because it is focused on a specific target selected based on a mechanistic understanding of the disease. ...