ASMB - Assembly Biosciences to Highlight Pipeline Progress in HBV and HDV at the 2023 International HBV Meeting | Benzinga
-- Two oral presentations and one poster will feature new data from the Company's hepatitis B/hepatitis D entry inhibitor, capsid assembly modulator ABI-4334, and interferon-alpha receptor agonist programs --
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB), a biotechnology company developing innovative antiviral therapeutics targeting serious viral diseases, today announced that the company will present new preclinical data from multiple hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) pipeline programs at the 2023 International HBV Meeting taking place in Kobe, Japan, September 19-23, 2023.
At the meeting, one oral presentation will highlight progress in the company's HBV/HDV oral entry inhibitor program including activity, selectivity and pharmacokinetic (PK) data that support advancement towards development candidate nomination. A second oral presentation reports new data for ABI-4334 (4334), Assembly Bio's most potent capsid assembly modulator (CAM) with a potential best-in-class profile, describing the prevention of HBV DNA integration in vitro. The poster presentation, from the company's interferon-? receptor (IFNAR) agonist program, characterizes small molecule IFNAR agonists that closely mimic interferon-?'s signaling.
"The data we are presenting at the 2023 International HBV Meeting highlight the exciting progress of our preclinical HBV/HDV entry and IFNAR agonist programs, and we anticipate nominating a development candidate from the HBV/HDV entry inhibitor program this year," said William Delaney, PhD, chief scientific officer of Assembly Bio. "Further, the data reported for 4334 support its potential to prevent HBV DNA integration, a process that has been linked to substantial genetic damage and the development of liver cancer in HBV patients. HBV DNA integration is a pathogenic process that is not directly addressed by nucleos(t)ide analogs and further supports the rationale of targeting the viral core protein through a new class of inhibitors."
HBV/HDV Entry Inhibitor Program
HDV is a satellite virus only found in the presence of HBV infection and is considered the most severe form of viral hepatitis. In an oral presentation entitled "Pre-clinical profiling of a novel class of orally bioavailable small molecules potently inhibiting hepatitis B and D virus entry," the company will present data on a novel class of highly potent, orally bioavailable HBV/HDV entry small molecule inhibitors with favorable drug-like properties. One compound selected for further characterization exhibited potent activity against multiple HBV and HDV genotypes and selective inhibition of sodium ...