An ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non-human primatesResearch in context

Summary: Background: Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) inhibition is a promising approach to manage atherogenic dyslipidaemia and residual atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Human ANGPTL4 loss-of-function (LoF) is associated with reduced plasma triglyceride (TG), remnant chole...

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Main Authors: Beryl B. Cummings, Page R. Bouchard, Mark N. Milton, Peter F. Moesta, Vyas Ramanan, John W. Trauger, Eleftheria Maratos-Flier, Andrei Voznesensky, Igor Splawski, Amitabh V. Nimonkar, Keith DiPetrillo, Daniel LaSala, Meihui Pan, Meghan M. Flaherty, Francois Huet, Sukhdeep K. Sahambi, Jijun Dong, Deborah Knee, Regis Cebe, Thomas Huber, Joshua Lehrer-Graiwer, Rebecca A. Juliano, Ethan J. Weiss
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Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:EBioMedicine
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396425001926
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author Beryl B. Cummings
Page R. Bouchard
Mark N. Milton
Peter F. Moesta
Vyas Ramanan
John W. Trauger
Eleftheria Maratos-Flier
Andrei Voznesensky
Igor Splawski
Amitabh V. Nimonkar
Keith DiPetrillo
Daniel LaSala
Meihui Pan
Meghan M. Flaherty
Francois Huet
Sukhdeep K. Sahambi
Jijun Dong
Deborah Knee
Regis Cebe
Thomas Huber
Joshua Lehrer-Graiwer
Rebecca A. Juliano
Ethan J. Weiss
author_facet Beryl B. Cummings
Page R. Bouchard
Mark N. Milton
Peter F. Moesta
Vyas Ramanan
John W. Trauger
Eleftheria Maratos-Flier
Andrei Voznesensky
Igor Splawski
Amitabh V. Nimonkar
Keith DiPetrillo
Daniel LaSala
Meihui Pan
Meghan M. Flaherty
Francois Huet
Sukhdeep K. Sahambi
Jijun Dong
Deborah Knee
Regis Cebe
Thomas Huber
Joshua Lehrer-Graiwer
Rebecca A. Juliano
Ethan J. Weiss
author_sort Beryl B. Cummings
collection DOAJ
description Summary: Background: Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) inhibition is a promising approach to manage atherogenic dyslipidaemia and residual atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Human ANGPTL4 loss-of-function (LoF) is associated with reduced plasma triglyceride (TG), remnant cholesterol (RC), and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) levels, and lower risk of type 2 diabetes and ASCVD, without observable safety concerns. However, development of ANGPTL4 inhibitors has been stalled by adverse findings in Angptl4 knockout mice fed a high-saturated-fat diet (HSFD), which show lipid accumulation in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), systemic inflammation, severe adverse clinical signs, and reduced survival. Methods: Here, we present the development and preclinical characterisation of MAR001, a humanised monoclonal ANGPTL4 inhibitor antibody. We assessed single-dose MAR001 efficacy in hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) non-human primates (NHPs, n = 4), and safety in two NHP toxicology studies: a 15-week subchronic study with a standard or HSFD (n = 36), and a 9-month chronic study exclusively on an HSFD (n = 24). Findings: In HTG monkeys, single-dose MAR001 treatment reduced plasma TG by up to 58%, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 38%, ApoB by 30%, and RC by 59%. In safety studies, MAR001 was well tolerated without clinically adverse findings with either diet. Animals fed an HSFD exhibited minimal to moderate foamy macrophage formation in MLNs, but importantly, these histological findings did not progress to degeneration, necrosis, inflammation, fibrosis, or other reactive changes, and with no evidence of systemic effects, including no evidence of systemic inflammation or clinical adverse signs. Interpretation: MAR001 improved plasma lipid profiles in NHPs without clinical adversity, even during prolonged HSFD feeding. The favourable NHP safety profile aligns with human ANGPTL4 LoF findings, and contrasts with the severe pathology in mouse knockout models on an HSFD. These findings supported MAR001 clinical studies reported in our concurrent publication, which demonstrated robust lipid improvements without lymphatic pathology. Overall, these findings support continued development of MAR001 as a promising new therapy for ASCVD risk reduction. Funding: Marea Therapeutics.
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spelling doaj-art-e6325ea9ad144fc8aaadcb2ef54c092d2025-08-20T02:05:07ZengElsevierEBioMedicine2352-39642025-07-0111710574810.1016/j.ebiom.2025.105748An ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non-human primatesResearch in contextBeryl B. Cummings0Page R. Bouchard1Mark N. Milton2Peter F. Moesta3Vyas Ramanan4John W. Trauger5Eleftheria Maratos-Flier6Andrei Voznesensky7Igor Splawski8Amitabh V. Nimonkar9Keith DiPetrillo10Daniel LaSala11Meihui Pan12Meghan M. Flaherty13Francois Huet14Sukhdeep K. Sahambi15Jijun Dong16Deborah Knee17Regis Cebe18Thomas Huber19Joshua Lehrer-Graiwer20Rebecca A. Juliano21Ethan J. Weiss22Marea Therapeutics, 131 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USAMarea Therapeutics, 131 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA; Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USAMarea Therapeutics, 131 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA; Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USAMarea Therapeutics, 131 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USAMarea Therapeutics, 131 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USANovartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, 22 Windsor Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USAMarea Therapeutics, 131 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USAMarea Therapeutics, 131 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USAMarea Therapeutics, 131 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA; Corresponding author.Summary: Background: Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) inhibition is a promising approach to manage atherogenic dyslipidaemia and residual atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Human ANGPTL4 loss-of-function (LoF) is associated with reduced plasma triglyceride (TG), remnant cholesterol (RC), and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) levels, and lower risk of type 2 diabetes and ASCVD, without observable safety concerns. However, development of ANGPTL4 inhibitors has been stalled by adverse findings in Angptl4 knockout mice fed a high-saturated-fat diet (HSFD), which show lipid accumulation in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), systemic inflammation, severe adverse clinical signs, and reduced survival. Methods: Here, we present the development and preclinical characterisation of MAR001, a humanised monoclonal ANGPTL4 inhibitor antibody. We assessed single-dose MAR001 efficacy in hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) non-human primates (NHPs, n = 4), and safety in two NHP toxicology studies: a 15-week subchronic study with a standard or HSFD (n = 36), and a 9-month chronic study exclusively on an HSFD (n = 24). Findings: In HTG monkeys, single-dose MAR001 treatment reduced plasma TG by up to 58%, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 38%, ApoB by 30%, and RC by 59%. In safety studies, MAR001 was well tolerated without clinically adverse findings with either diet. Animals fed an HSFD exhibited minimal to moderate foamy macrophage formation in MLNs, but importantly, these histological findings did not progress to degeneration, necrosis, inflammation, fibrosis, or other reactive changes, and with no evidence of systemic effects, including no evidence of systemic inflammation or clinical adverse signs. Interpretation: MAR001 improved plasma lipid profiles in NHPs without clinical adversity, even during prolonged HSFD feeding. The favourable NHP safety profile aligns with human ANGPTL4 LoF findings, and contrasts with the severe pathology in mouse knockout models on an HSFD. These findings supported MAR001 clinical studies reported in our concurrent publication, which demonstrated robust lipid improvements without lymphatic pathology. Overall, these findings support continued development of MAR001 as a promising new therapy for ASCVD risk reduction. Funding: Marea Therapeutics.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396425001926MAR001ANGPTL4TriglycerideRemnant cholesterolNon-human primatesSafety
spellingShingle Beryl B. Cummings
Page R. Bouchard
Mark N. Milton
Peter F. Moesta
Vyas Ramanan
John W. Trauger
Eleftheria Maratos-Flier
Andrei Voznesensky
Igor Splawski
Amitabh V. Nimonkar
Keith DiPetrillo
Daniel LaSala
Meihui Pan
Meghan M. Flaherty
Francois Huet
Sukhdeep K. Sahambi
Jijun Dong
Deborah Knee
Regis Cebe
Thomas Huber
Joshua Lehrer-Graiwer
Rebecca A. Juliano
Ethan J. Weiss
An ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non-human primatesResearch in context
EBioMedicine
MAR001
ANGPTL4
Triglyceride
Remnant cholesterol
Non-human primates
Safety
title An ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non-human primatesResearch in context
title_full An ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non-human primatesResearch in context
title_fullStr An ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non-human primatesResearch in context
title_full_unstemmed An ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non-human primatesResearch in context
title_short An ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non-human primatesResearch in context
title_sort angptl4 inhibitory antibody safely improves lipid profiles in non human primatesresearch in context
topic MAR001
ANGPTL4
Triglyceride
Remnant cholesterol
Non-human primates
Safety
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396425001926
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