Valerio Therapeutics announces acquisition of Emglev Therapeutics

Valerio Therapeutics, a developer of DNA Decoy therapeutics, has announced its acquisition of Emglev Therapeutics, a company specialising in single-domain antibody-based therapeutics. This strategic move aims to enhance Valerio’s drug development capabilities across multiple therapeutic areas.

Emglev Therapeutics, originating from Institut Curie, has developed synthetic single-domain antibody (sdAb) libraries that address the limitations of traditional antibody discovery. These libraries enable the identification of humanised or fully human sdAbs completely in vitro, offering a significant edge in antibody development.

Valerio Therapeutics president and CEO Dr Shefali Agarwal said: “The acquisition of Emglev Therapeutics through our newly formed subsidiary Valour Bio reinforces our commitment to bring innovative therapeutics to patients. We are excited to advance this next-generation technology developed by the accomplished scientists at Emglev and we look forward to the novel treatments this platform may yield like sdAb drug and radio-conjugates, bispecific T-cell engagers, blocking and binding sdAb or CAR-T sdAb drugs.”

Emglev’s sdAb technology, which is already humanised, accelerates the development process and minimises immunogenicity risks. With broad applications in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders and cancer, the technology supports the development of various treatment modalities. These include drug and radio-conjugates, CAR-T sdAb drugs, bispecific T-cell engagers, among others.

Preclinical proof-of-concept has been demonstrated with CAR-T sdAb, BiTE sdAb, and sdAb-drug conjugates, showcasing Emglev’s ability to discover tailored antibody fragments.

Emglev Therapeutics CEO Christelle Masdeu said: “As a shareholder of Valour Bio now holding the Emglev platform, we remain committed to investing our energy, expertise and passion to develop unique treatments addressing unmet medical needs. The synergy created by combining Emglev’s proprietary synthetic single-domain antibody platform with Valerio’s distinctive preclinical and clinical development expertise perfectly aligns with our mission to deliver transformative therapies that make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives.”