WATERTOWN, Mass., Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diagonal Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to discovering and developing agonist antibodies, today announced they will participate in multiple presentations at Cure HHT’s upcoming 15^th HHT International Scientific Conference, taking place in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, October 15-19th, 2024. HHT is a severely debilitating bleeding disorder caused by mutations in ALK1 or Endoglin genes. These mutations lead to severe nosebleeds and gastrointestinal bleeds that lead to transfusion-dependent anemia. People with HHT are also at risk for life-threatening arteriovenous malformation (AVM) ruptures in critical organs such as the liver, lungs, and brain. The disease affects roughly 150,000 people in the United States and European Union.

“We’re grateful to Cure HHT for inviting us to speak at their 15^th annual meeting, which focuses on advancements in HHT research and emerging therapeutic options for patients. The need for better treatment options is evident, and we are pleased to be able to provide an update on our lead program," said Alex Lugovskoy, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Diagonal. “While still early, our ALK1 agonist antibody, designed specifically for people with HHT, has demonstrated the ability to prevent and reverse the formation of AVMs in two HHT-relevant in vivo models and restored normal signaling in patient-derived cells. We hope these data can translate to significant patient benefit in the clinic."

Details on the presentations are as follows:

Poster: Bispecific antibodies targeting the ENG-ALK1-BMPRII axis as a novel approach for the treatment of HHT

• Presenter: JC Hus, Ph.D., Senior Director, Informatics, Diagonal Therapeutics
  

Invited Talk: Therapeutic Potential of ALK1 Activating Drugs in HHT Models

• Presenter: Philippe Marambaud, Ph.D., Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Diagonal Therapeutics scientific collaborator
  

Invited Talk: Advancing a New Approach to Tackle the Root Cause of HHT

• Presenter: Eric Duhaime, SVP, Finance and Corporate Development, Diagonal Therapeutics
  

About Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT)
HHT is a rare disease that affects more than 150,000 people in the US and EU, and for which there are currently no approved therapies. In HHT, mutations in the TGF-β receptor superfamily complex create two types of abnormal blood vessels – telangiectasias and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) – that are fragile and susceptible to rupture and bleeding. These bleeding events lead to chronic anemia, necessitating frequent iron infusions or red blood cell transfusions. AVMs, if left untreated, may result in lung and brain hemorrhage, stroke, heart failure, and death. Diagonal’s agonist antibody candidates reactivate dormant signaling, addressing the root cause of the disease.

About Diagonal Therapeutics
Diagonal Therapeutics is a biotech company pioneering a new approach to discovering and developing agonist antibodies. The Company's DIAGONAL platform combines proprietary computational and experimental techniques to overcome historical challenges associated with agonist antibody drug discovery. Diagonal's emerging pipeline – discovered using the DIAGONAL platform – has the potential to deliver life-changing therapies to patients by tackling the underlying cause of disease. For more information, please visit www.diagonaltx.com.

Media Contact:
Cory Tromblee
media@diagonaltx.com