Apitope® Technology Platform

The Apitope® (Antigen Processing Independent epiTOPE) technology platform enables the high-throughput screening of highly specific small peptide molecules to induce immune suppression specific to autoantigens, thus enabling targeted immunotherapy for various autoimmune diseases.

The goal of Apitopes® immunotherapy is to deliver Apitopes® to antigen-presenting cells (APCs), causing the expression of low levels of co-stimulatory factors. When T cells bind to the Apitope® presented by APCs and encounter low levels of co-stimulatory factors, the result is either the shutdown of T cells or their conversion into T regulatory cells. This leads to (i) the suppression of aggressive immune responses against self-antigens and (ii) the prevention of other immune cells from attacking the target antigen.

Worg currently holds exclusive global rights to all intellectual property and pipelines associated with the Apitope® platform and has completed the development and overseas clinical trials for multiple global First-in-Class (FIC) pipelines.

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland and causes it to become overactive. It causes overproduction of thyroid hormone leading to various symptoms such as, heat intolerance, sweating, weight loss, and muscle weakness. Thyroid eye disease which manifests as eye bulging is a frequent complication and associated with the potential risk of blindness. Graves' disease is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, with approximately 10 million patients across Europe and the US.

First line therapies for Graves’ disease consist of anti-thyroid drugs to reduce the production of thyroid hormones and/or radioactive iodine therapy. Many patients often fail current first line therapy, and the last remaining option is surgical removal of the thyroid, leading to lifelong thyroid replacement therapy and potential complications such as scarring and vocal cord damage.

Graves' disease provides fast market entry opportunities through rare and serious orphan indications with high unmet medical need including Graves' ophthalmopathy and pediatric Graves' disease.

WP1302 is the first treatment to target the immunological basis of Graves' disease and the first innovative treatment in more than 60 years for patients with the disease. WP1302 has been evaluated in a Phase I study in patients and is showing promising signs of early efficacy in the majority of patients with very favorable safety profile.