Allakos

Antibody therapeutics

Also Clin2/Clin3 eosinophilic esophagitis, Clin2a chronic urticaria, Clin1b severe allergic conjunctivitis, Clin1 indolent systemic mastocytosis; AK006 Clin0 undisclosed; AK007 RD undisclosed

Allakos is developing antibody-based therapeutics to treat allergic and inflammatory diseases. Eosinophils and mast cells, both types of immune cells, play a role in pathogenesis of many acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Allakos is targeting receptors expressed on the surface of different immune cells with therapeutic antibodies. Allakos’ lead therapeutic target, AK002, binds a receptor on eosinophils to deplete them as they are elevated in patients with eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases. The receptor is Siglec-8, which when activated by the antibody, induces apoptosis in eosinophils. Positive clinical activity of AK002 has already been seen and Allokos is continuing to test the drug in more eosinophil-driven diseases.