ASX Health Stocks: Immutep gets crucial therapy trial clearance; Alcidion wins $4m deal

Immutep has received regulatory clearance from the Netherlands for its Phase I clinical trial of IMP761
Alcidion nabs $4m contract in a long-term partnership with Hume Rural Health Alliance

Immutep has clearance for Phase 1 trial

Immutep (ASX:IMM), a biotech specialising in LAG-3 immunotherapies, has received regulatory clearance from the Netherlands for its Phase I clinical trial of IMP761.

The clearance for the first-in-human trial of IMP761 is a significant milestone for Immutep, and marks an important step in the development of IMP761.

The LAG-3 agonist antibody, IMP761, is a novel therapy in the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.

Previous trials indicate that blocking LAG-3 with an antagonist antibody in cancer patients unleashes the power of the anti-tumor T cell responses, and also leads to autoimmunity in a fraction of the patients.

This is because the immune checkpoint LAG-3 plays a crucial role in regulating T cell responses, and its dysregulation is implicated in various autoimmune disorders.

IMP761 aims to restore immune balance by enhancing LAG-3’s ability to suppress self-reactive T cells that contribute to disease pathology.

Dr. Frédéric Triebel, Immutep’s Chief Scientific Officer, highlighted the significance of IMP761 in autoimmune therapy.

“Using IMP761, an agonist LAG-3 antibody, to reinforce this physiological upstream control of the T cell response represents a new approach to silence the few aggressive T cells that lead to autoimmune diseases,” he said.

The Phase I study, which is placebo-controlled and double-blind, will enrol 49 healthy volunteers.

Its primary goal is to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of IMP761.

The Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR) in Leiden, Netherlands, will use a unique test involving keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) to see how IMP761 works in the human body during the early stages of the clinical trial.

Immutep anticipates that CHDR will enrol first participants into the Phase I study during Q3 of this year, with first data being available before the end of the year.

Alcidion nabs $4m contract

Medtech firm Alcidion Group (ASX:ALC), meanwhile, has signed a long-term partnership with Hume Rural Health Alliance (HRHA) to use its Miya Precision platform, focusing on improving patient flow and virtual care.

This agreement, worth about $4 million over five years, will mostly be recognised as annual subscription revenue.

The contract was awarded after thorough market analysis by HRHA and independent advice from Infrastructure Advisory Group.

The Miya Precision platform will help manage bed availability across the region, making HRHA’s patient care more efficient.

The Miya Precision platform essentially gathers important information into central dashboards and helps caregivers to make clinical decision directly at the point of care.