Antigenic Immune Modulation is a new category of therapeutics
Our Solution
During embryonic life, the thymus gland educates our immune system and prepares our body to identify and eliminate “auto-aggressive” T-cells that attack “self” cells. Autoimmune diseases appear when the body fails to eliminate the “auto-aggressive” T cells.
Our Antigenic Immune Modulation platform is designed to act like the thymus gland, resetting the immune system to prevent our immune cells from attacking our own cell constituents. By addressing the underlying immunological challenge, Phaim intends to cure, improve, halt or prevent autoimmune disease.
Mechansim of Action of Phaim’s AIM Platform
Phaim’s Antigenic Immune Modulation therapy is given as a long-lasting injection with an adjuvant that induces a pro-inflammatory response in the body, pulling Antigen Presenting Cells (APCs) to the site.
The APCs absorb the disease-specific antigenic epitopes in the drug and signal for the expansion of regulatory T cells that recognise the disease relevant antigens (e.g. insulin secreting beta cell antigens).
This expansion of regulatory T cells flows through the blood stream to disease specific organs (such as the pancreas). The regulatory T cells control and override the auto-aggressive T cell population, preventing the attack on the body’s own cell constituents, thereby resetting natural tolerance.
Our First Application
Phaim Type 1 Diabetes drug candidate: DMX4001
We have completed a preclinical animal study that demonstrated improved and normalised blood glucose and the desired T cell function. Phaim is now preparing for clinical studies, having designed and validated CMC processes to support scale-up.
Other drug candidates are in the pipeline, based on the same therapeutic platform but designed for other autoimmune diseases.
Diagnostic biomarkers to understand suitability for DMX4001
Alongside our novel therapeutic portfolio, Phaim also holds a proprietary group of biomarkers that can help characterise the risk of type 1 diabetes and the most likely pathway of disease progression. This has the potential to be used as a companion to DMX400, understanding which pre-diabetic, symptom-free patients will benefit most from AIM and supporting future human clinical studies.
Our Pipeline
AIM as a therapeutic platform can target multiple disease areas
Equity of Access
We believe no one should be denied world class care. That’s why we are looking to partner with organisations that align with our philosophy of equity of access.
Read more about Antigenic Immune Modulation in our Knowledge Centre.