• HMBD-011 is a potentially first-in-class anti-VH4-34 antibody developed for treatment of VH4-34+ antibody-driven pathogenesis in lupus and cold agglutinin disease
• Data presented shows preclinical proof of concept for HMBD-011 clearance of VH4-34+ antibodies and effective inhibition of cold agglutination
• HMBD-011, uniquely enabled by Hummingbird Bioscience's Rational Antibody Discovery platform, allows for specific targeting of the small conserved conformational hydrophobic patch of VH4-34

The company will present preclinical data for HMBD-011, an anti-VH4-34 antibody developed with Hummingbird Bioscience's Rational Antibody Discovery platform. In preclinical models, HMBD-011 effectively inhibits cold agglutination and clears VH4-34+ antibodies in circulation within 24 hours. HMBD-011 also mediates clearance of VH4-34+ cells via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis.

"HMBD-011 targets the small conserved conformational hydrophobic patch of VH4-34, which is challenging to target with traditional antibody discovery approaches. With its differentiated mechanism of action, HMBD-011 has the potential to address underlying disease pathology in lupus (systematic lupus erythematosus and cutaneous lupus erythematosus) and cold agglutinin disease," said Jerome Boyd-Kirkup, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Hummingbird Bioscience. "We look forward to sharing the preclinical data for our novel anti-VH4-34 antibody and discussing therapeutic strategies with the immunology community."