Adagio claims that none of the mutations found in Omicron are linked with escape from ADG20 neutralization in vitro.
Adagio Therapeutics is having a very good week after reporting that ADG20, its SARS-CoV-2 antibody, is likely to hold up against the Omicron variant, as well as the other determined variants of said virus.
The Massachusetts-based biopharma company gave a promising update on the antigen it is developing, saying it has clear potential to protect people against the newest SARS-CoV-2 variant and be a treatment for those who are already suffering from COVID-19. Adagio claims that none of the mutations found in Omicron are linked with escape from ADG20 neutralization in vitro.
The company also stated that ADG20 aims at a particular epitope on the coronavirus’s receptor-binding domain that is not being targeted by any known class of antibodies, meaning it is less impacted by “immune pressure.”
“We, from the beginning, predicted exactly what is happening now. We said that the Greek alphabet has 24 letters, and we have a long way to go,” Co-founder and CEO Tillman Gerngross said. “The only way to really hedge against the viral escape that we’re seeing is to come up with antibodies that target residues on the receptor-binding domain. We did the work to do that. We ended up engineering antibodies that are extremely potent and that have this broad recognition.”
Laura Walker, Ph.D., co-founder and chief scientific officer of Adagio explained, “The continued global scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased levels of immune pressure on the virus, which is driving the emergence of variants containing mutations associated with escape from common classes of neutralizing antibodies induced by natural infection or vaccination. Unlike most antibodies currently available under EUA, ADG20 has been shown to target an epitope that is highly conserved among clade I sarbecoviruses and that is not readily targeted by the endogenous neutralizing antibody response.”
Walker added that Adagio believes ADG20 will retain its activity against Omicron because of the highly conserved and immunorecessive nature of the epitope it recognizes. “Further, none of the mutations present in the spike protein of the Omicron variant have been associated with escape from ADG20 neutralization. ADG20 was engineered for potent and broadly neutralizing activity in anticipation of both the rapid antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of future SARS-like viruses with pandemic potential,” she said.
ADG20 is an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and similar coronaviruses. It was created and engineered to contain high potency and broad neutralization activity contrary to the virus and the clade 1 sarbecoviruses. ADG20 is administered through a singular intramuscular injection. Adagio is currently recruiting participants in a Phase II/III trial across the globe, including in South Africa where Omicron was first sequenced.
Meanwhile, this report led to an increase in Adagio’s shares, which shot up by more than 80% as of 2 p.m. Monday, resulting in a market cap of almost $4.9 billion. As of Tuesday morning, Adagio is valued at $5.06 billion.
