iBio announces licensing agreement with AstralBio for a novel antibody targeting Activin E, potentially aiding weight loss and cardiometabolic health.
Quiver AI Summary
Bio, Inc. has announced a licensing agreement with AstralBio Inc. for a first-in-class antibody designed to target Activin E, a key factor in regulating energy balance and fat distribution. This antibody, developed using iBio’s Machine-Learning Antibody Engine, has shown promising results in preclinical studies, such as the ability to selectively reduce fat while preserving muscle mass in obese rodent models. As part of the deal, iBio will receive a $750,000 credit from AstralBio for developing this antibody and has also added another target in their collaboration for treating cardiometabolic diseases. The strategic partnership underscores iBio’s commitment to advancing treatments for obesity and related health issues, with plans to present further data at an upcoming conference in Philadelphia.
Potential Positives
- iBio has entered a licensing agreement for a first-in-class antibody targeting Activin E, which could provide a novel therapy for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases.
- The antibody demonstrated strong preclinical results in inducing fat-selective weight loss, showing potential for significant clinical impact.
- iBio's strategic expansion into cardiometabolic disease treatments enhances its pipeline and showcases its innovative Drug Discovery Platform.
- The collaboration with AstralBio also includes financial incentives, such as a $750,000 credit and potential milestone payments of up to $28 million, indicating strong external validation and partnership strength.
Potential Negatives
- The press release includes numerous forward-looking statements that carry inherent risks and uncertainties, suggesting a lack of guaranteed outcomes for the company's strategic initiatives.
- The dependency on the successful development and commercialization of a still-experimental antibody raises concerns about potential setbacks that could affect the company's financial stability.
- Significant milestone payments to AstralBio totaling up to $28 million highlight financial obligations that could impact iBio's cash flow and resources as the project develops.
FAQ
What is the latest licensing agreement by Bio, Inc.?
Bio, Inc. announced a licensing agreement with AstralBio for a preclinical antibody targeting Activin E, a key therapeutic target for obesity.
How does the Activin E antibody impact weight loss?
The antibody is believed to induce fat-selective weight loss and provide protection against obesity and cardiometabolic diseases.
When will iBio present additional data on the Activin E antibody?
iBio plans to present more preclinical data at the International BMP Conference from May 2–6, 2025.
What is the significance of the Activin E target?
Activin E is a novel therapeutic target that could lead to improvements in managing obesity and related health conditions.
What is iBio's mission in drug development?
iBio aims to transform drug discovery and develop next-generation therapies for cardiometabolic diseases, obesity, cancer, and other serious health issues.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$IBIO Insider Trading Activity
$IBIO insiders have traded $IBIO stock on the open market 7 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 7 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $IBIO stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- ANTONIO BERNARDINO GUIMARAES PARADA purchased 183,823 shares for an estimated $499,998
- DAVID ARKOWITZ purchased 18,382 shares for an estimated $49,999
- GARY SENDER purchased 9,191 shares for an estimated $24,999
- MARTIN BRENNER (See Remarks) purchased 9,191 shares for an estimated $24,999
- FELIPE DURAN (Chief Financial Officer) purchased 9,191 shares for an estimated $24,999
- MARC BANJAK (Chief Legal Officer) purchased 9,191 shares for an estimated $24,999
- WILLIAM D CLARK purchased 1,838 shares for an estimated $4,999
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
$IBIO Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 6 institutional investors add shares of $IBIO stock to their portfolio, and 9 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- ADAR1 CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC removed 60,606 shares (-12.7%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $148,484
- VANGUARD GROUP INC added 37,147 shares (+103.2%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $91,010
- GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC added 28,775 shares (+52.3%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $70,498
- IFP ADVISORS, INC removed 1,000 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $2,450
- UBS GROUP AG added 898 shares (+89800.0%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $2,200
- TOWER RESEARCH CAPITAL LLC (TRC) removed 583 shares (-26.5%) from their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $1,428
- SRS CAPITAL ADVISORS, INC. added 91 shares (+9100.0%) to their portfolio in Q4 2024, for an estimated $222
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
Full Release
SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Bio, Inc.
(Nasdaq: IBIO), an AI-driven innovator of precision antibody therapies, today announced a licensing agreement with AstralBio Inc. for a preclinical first-in-class antibody targeting
Activin E, which was discovered using iBio’s patented Machine-Learning Antibody Engine
. Activin E is a promising novel therapeutic target whose inhibition is believed to induce fat-selective weight loss and offer protection against obesity and cardiometabolic disease. iBio plans to rapidly advance testing of the antibody in more complex models following preclinical studies that demonstrated strong antibody binding, inhibition of Activin E signaling and fat-specific weight loss in an obese rodent animal model.
The in-licensed antibody represents what iBio believes to be the first functional inhibitor of Activin E, a challenging, yet genetically validated therapeutic target playing a key role in regulating energy balance and fat distribution. Inhibiting Activin E-mediated signaling could offer a novel therapeutic strategy to reduce internal abdominal fat while preserving muscle mass—potentially reversing obesity, preventing diabetes, and improving overall cardiometabolic health. As one of several cellular components involved in cardiometabolic regulation, Activin E, along with amylin, GLP-1 and others, are part of a broader network of signaling pathways that have the potential to be targeted simultaneously to yield synergistic benefits for patients.
Using its proprietary Machine Learning Antibody Engine and advanced epitope engineering technology, iBio designed engineered epitopes representing five key regions of the Activin E protein. This approach led to the successful development of a molecule that fully blocks Activin E-mediated signaling and inhibits its function across multiple in vitro models. In vivo proof-of-concept was established in a rodent model of obesity, where the antibody induced fat-selective weight loss as a monotherapy and showed synergistic weight loss when added to a GLP-1 receptor agonist in
recently published data
by iBio. iBio plans to present additional preclinical data of its antibody targeting Activin E at the International BMP Conference, taking place in Philadelphia, PA, from May 2–6.
“Our decision to license this Activin E-targeting functional antibody, a potentially first-in-class molecule, at this early stage reflects our firm belief in Activin E as a promising therapeutic target and our confidence in building upon the strong preclinical data we recently published,” said Martin Brenner, Ph.D., DVM, iBio’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer. “This antibody represents a strategic expansion of our pipeline in cardiometabolic diseases and obesity and a significant step toward clinical development of a medication that can potentially offer meaningful benefits to patients.”
Additionally, iBio amended its existing collaboration agreement with AstralBio to add a fifth target for the treatment of cardiometabolic disease. iBio will identify and create an antibody against such target, leveraging its proprietary Drug Discovery Platform. In exchange for adding an additional target to the collaboration and pursuant to the license agreement, AstralBio has provided iBio a $750,000 credit which iBio has applied toward the option fee for the exclusive license of the novel antibody that inhibits the function of Activin E. AstralBio will be eligible for development and commercialization milestone payments totaling up to $28 million. If iBio sublicenses the licensed product, AstralBio is to receive low to mid-single-digit sublicense fees on the proceeds of the sublicense fees. iBio is solely responsible for the research and development, manufacturing and commercialization activities of the licensed product.
About iBio, Inc.
iBio (Nasdaq:
IBIO
) is a cutting-edge biotech company leveraging AI and advanced computational biology to develop next-generation biopharmaceuticals for cardiometabolic diseases, obesity, cancer and other hard-to-treat diseases. By combining proprietary 3D modeling with innovative drug discovery platforms, iBio is creating a pipeline of breakthrough antibody treatments to address significant unmet medical needs. Our mission is to transform drug discovery, accelerate development timelines, and unlock new possibilities in precision medicine. For more information, visit
www.ibioinc.com
or follow us on
LinkedIn
.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and include statements regarding the therapeutic potential of Activin E as a target for cardiometabolic disorders and obesity; Activin E being a promising novel therapeutic target whose inhibition is believed to induce fat-selective weight loss and offer protection against obesity and cardiometabolic disease; plans to rapidly advance testing of the antibody in more complex models; the in-licensed antibody being the first functional inhibitor of Activin E; inhibiting Activin E-mediated signaling offering a novel therapeutic strategy to reduce internal abdominal fat while preserving muscle mass potentially reversing obesity, preventing diabetes, and improving overall cardiometabolic health. As one of several cellular components involved in cardiometabolic regulation; Activin E, along with amylin, GLP-1 and others, having the potential to be targeted simultaneously to yield synergistic benefits for patients; plans to present additional preclinical data of its antibody targeting Activin E at the International BMP Conference, taking place in Philadelphia, PA from May 2–6; and the antibody having the potential to deliver meaningful benefits to patients. While iBio believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the ability of Activin E to be a successful target for cardiometabolic disorders and obesity and iBio’s antibody to induce fat-selective weight loss and offer protection against obesity and cardiometabolic disease; iBio’s ability to obtain regulatory approvals for commercialization of its product candidates, or to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements; regulatory limitations relating to iBio’s ability to promote or commercialize its product candidates for specific indications; acceptance of iBio’s product candidates in the marketplace and the successful development, marketing or sale of products; and whether iBio will incur unforeseen expenses or liabilities or other market factors; and the other factors discussed in iBio’s filings with the SEC including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2024 and its subsequent filings with the SEC on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and iBio undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Corporate Contact:
iBio, Inc.
Investor Relations
ir@ibioinc.com
Media Contacts:
Ignacio Guerrero-Ros, Ph.D., or David Schull
Russo Partners, LLC
Ignacio.guerrero-ros@russopartnersllc.com
David.schull@russopartnersllc.com
(858) 717-2310 or (646) 942-5604
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