Elusys Therapeutics
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
The core technology on which EluSys Therapeutics is based is a bispecific antibody technology with broad potential to bind to and clear toxins, auto-antibodies, and pathogens. That technology, called the HP System, is based on the mechanism of immune adherence. In response to a foreign substance (an antigen) entering the bloodstream, the immune system produces antibodies that bind the antigen, forming an immune complex, which in turn activates the complement system. A complement protein attaches to the immune complex and binds to the CR1 receptor of the complement system, which is found on all red blood cells (RBCs). The bound immune complex is then transported to the liver, where it is stripped off the RBC and destroyed by macrophages. Taylor's invention uses a heteropolymer-an antibody specific for both the CR1 receptor and the target antigen-to clear the target antigen without having to activate the complement system, which improves the efficiency of the clearance process.