In a 21-patient cohort of celiac disease sufferers, the oral administration of AT1001 induced a significantly positive result in the trial’s primary target endpoint compared to placebo.
“We anticipated a strong signal, however, the magnitude of the response surpassed our expectations,” stated Dr Blake Paterson, president and CEO of Alba. “We are particularly excited, as to the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of a desired and systemic immunological effect resulting from a physiological event at a mucosal surface.”
AT1001 is an antagonist to the zonulin system – a signaling pathway that appears to be involved in many diseases in which leakage occurs via paracellular transport across epithelial and endothelial tight junctions, and thus may play an important potential role in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, the company said.