Vivtex Enters New Research Agreement With Equillium to Develop GI-targeted Formulations for its First-in-Class Oral, Bi-Specific Peptide Therapy

Vivtex Corporation recently announced it has entered a research and licensing agreement with Equillium, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

The research collaboration is focused on the application of Vivtex’s unique and proprietary AI-enabled GI-ORIS screening and formulation platform technology to develop an optimized oral version of Equillium’s EQ302, a first-in-class bi-specific peptide inhibitor of IL-15 and IL-21 in development for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation. Under the agreement, Equillium has the option to enter into a license agreement under which Vivtex may be eligible for royalties and other payments. No financial terms are disclosed.

EQ302 inhibits IL-15 and IL-21, two cytokines important in the pathophysiology of a range of GI disorders, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Celiac Disease and Eosinophilic Esophagitis. An optimized GI-targeted, oral formulation of EQ302 has the potential to revolutionize treatment options for patients suffering with GI disorders by combining a strong anti-inflammatory effect with improved convenience and patient compliance compared to current biologic therapies. Equillium is targeting a first-in-human Phase 1 trial to begin in 2H 2025.

With a growing number of biotech and pharma collaborations, Vivtex is emerging as a leader in oral biologics delivery and has successfully delivered on multiple internal and external therapeutic programs. Vivtex’s technology has the ability to improve the oral bioavailability of peptides multiple fold beyond what current technologies can accomplish and is providing peptide drug developers with renewed hope to create oral therapeutics.

Maureen Deehan, CEO of Vivtex, said “This collaboration with Equillium expands our portfolio of projects and speaks to the strength and potential of our GI-ORIS technology. Together, we are redefining what is possible with orally available peptides and are confident that this partnership will accelerate efforts to offer more effective, accessible, and less burdensome treatment options to patients.”

“This partnership underscores our confidence in Vivtex’s ability to model complex gastrointestinal environments and provide critical insights to advance the development of EQ302 for oral delivery,” added Stephen Connelly, Chief Scientific Officer at Equillium.

Vivtex was launched as a spin out from the labs of Robert Langer (MIT) and Giovanni Traverso (MIT, Harvard Medical School). The company is focused on transforming the market for biologic therapies through the development of novel oral biologics including enhanced, oral versions of existing high-value biologic candidates that can only be administered by injection or infusion.

To achieve its mission, Vivtex is leveraging its proprietary and extensively validated AI-enabled high-throughput GI-ORIS™ screening and formulation platform through strategic partnerships and R&D collaborations with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

Equillium is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging a deep understanding of immunobiology to develop novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high unmet medical need. The company’s pipeline consists of the following novel first-in-class immunomodulatory assets and product platform targeting immuno-inflammatory pathways. EQ101 is a selective tri-specific cytokine inhibitor targeting IL-2, IL-9, and IL-15 being developed for dermatological conditions, and EQ302 is an orally delivered, selective bi-specific cytokine inhibitor targeting IL-15 and IL-21 being developed for gastrointestinal conditions. The multi-cytokine platform generates rationally designed composite peptides. Itolizumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the CD6-ALCAM signaling pathway, is in a Phase 3 clinical study of patients with acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and exhibited positive results in a completed Phase 1b clinical study of patients with lupus/lupus nephritis in April 2024. For more information, visit www.equilliumbio.com.