Benzinga | Jul 20, 2021 07:05AM EDT

Immunome Antibody Cocktail Neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant in Pre-clinical Testing

Immunome, Inc. (NASDAQ:IMNM), a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its human memory B cell platform to discover and develop first-in-class antibody therapeutics, announced today that its three-antibody cocktail (IMM-BCP-01) has demonstrated potent neutralizing activity against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in pre-clinical pseudovirus testing. Furthermore, IMM-BCP-01 showed in-vitro activity via non-neutralizing mechanisms, such as complement fixation, which Immunome expects will enable viral clearance.

"IMM-BCP-01's ability to maintain neutralizing activity against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Delta variant, potentially positions our drug candidate as a long-term solution to the changing threat posed by COVID-19. We believe our lead candidate's mechanism of action, targeting at least three non-overlapping epitopes - informed by authentic human immune response - provides a robust defense against future mutational drift," said Purnanand Sarma, PhD, President & CEO of Immunome. "Currently, the delta variant accounts for a majority of coronavirus cases in the United States."

Immunome was awarded a $17.6 million technology award from the U.S. Department of Defense's Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), in collaboration with the Defense Health Agency, to support Immunome's COVID program.

Given the near-term potential for a resurgence of COVID-19 infections driven by emerging variants, Immunome intends to explore opportunities to expedite the development of this potential therapeutic. The Company plans to submit an IND application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this quarter.