La Jolla, California-based Arialys Therapeutics is developing therapeutics to treat neuropsychiatric conditions with an autoimmune etiology. According to CEO Peter Flynn, these may not be as uncommon as we might think.
As he notes in this episode of the In Vivo podcast, there are indications that subsets of patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, dementia, psychosis and autism, as well as other conditions, have high levels of auto-antibodies to the NMDA receptor.
Whether the antibodies are causing the symptoms remains to be established, as the science of autoimmune neuropsychiatry is relatively new.
For now, however, the startup is focusing on developing its lead asset, ART5803, a monoclonal antibody for the treatment of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.
Listen to the podcast as Flynn talks about his own 20-plus years of executive biotech leadership experience at Artiva Biotherapeutics, Orexigen and Fate Therapeutics, describes what is known about autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders, describes the journey of patients with anti-NMDA encephalitis and touches on the company’s commercialization and growth strategy.
Timestamps:
Intro
1:00 - Flynn’s career trajectory
2:35 - Origins of Arialys, including the purchase of its lead asset from Astellas
4:00 - The evolving science of autoimmune neuropsychiatric conditions and anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
8:45 - Testing for auto-antibodies to the central nervous system exist but are not sensitive enough and require spinal tap
11:25 - Arialys' lead asset, ART5803, for anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
15:40 - The current standard of care and the patient journey
19:35 - Increasing physician awareness of the disease
21:00 - Arialys' commercialization and growth strategy
