ANN ARBOR, Mich. and CHICAGO, Aug. 29, 2024 — EVOQ Therapeutics, Inc. (EVOQ) a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the treatment of autoimmune diseases, announced today the receipt of a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance novel therapies for autoimmune diseases.
The NIH award represents a significant endorsement of EVOQ’s groundbreaking approach to harnessing the power of the immune system to treat and prevent autoimmune diseases.
“We are thrilled to receive this NIH grant, which underscores the potential of our NanoDisc technology to transform the landscape of immunotherapy,” said Dr. James Moon, Chief Scientific Officer of EVOQ Therapeutics. “This support will enable us to accelerate the development of our platform, which we believe could offer significant breakthroughs in treating some of the most challenging diseases in autoimmunity. This particular award advances therapies for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody disease, a rare inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system.”
The NanoDisc technology leverages a proprietary platform that reduces the body’s aberrant immune response underlying autoimmunity, offering a novel and highly effective method of reeducating the immune system via local administration. This approach is designed to address unmet medical needs across a range of diseases by precisely reducing specific immune responses underlying autoimmunity.
“EVOQ Therapeutics remains committed to pushing the boundaries of immunotherapy innovation, and this NIH grant marks another important step forward in the company’s mission to deliver desperately needed treatments to patients worldwide,” said Dr. David Giljohann, CEO of EVOQ Therapeutics.
In addition to MOG antibody disease, EVOQ therapies are also in development to treat patients with Type 1 diabetes, Celiac disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus and other chronic autoimmune diseases.
About MOG antibody disease
Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody disease is a rare inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system targeting the optic nerves, brain, and spinal cord. Symptoms include vision loss, spinal cord damage, and seizures. Current treatments include steroids and immunosuppressants and often result in systemic immunosuppression, complications, and frequent relapses, highlighting the need for targeted therapies.
About EVOQ Therapeutics
EVOQ Therapeutics is advancing a pipeline of disease-specific immune modulators to treat patients afflicted with autoimmune diseases. EVOQ’s technology platform utilizes a proprietary NanoDisc that has been optimized to deliver antigens to restore immune tolerance. EVOQ Therapeutics was launched with the assistance of Innovation Partnerships at the University of Michigan.
For media inquiries, please contact: Greg Barrett at EVOQ Therapeutics gbarrett@evoqtherapeutics.com
