Pipeline / Xep02 · Dog · Atopic dermatitis

Xep02 · Canine atopic dermatitis

A ther­a­peu­tic vaccine that targets the neu­ro­genic inflam­ma­tion behind chronic itch, with long-lasting control from a few doses a year.

ProgramXep02
SpeciesDog
IndicationAtopic dermatitis
StageClinical trial
The disease

Why it matters

Skin aller­gies are the most common health issue in dogs, and atopic der­mati­tis (AD) is one of the most fre­quent skin dis­eases. Its preva­lence in dogs world­wide is approx­i­mately 10 to 15%.

Canine AD is a genet­i­cally pre­dis­posed inflam­ma­tory and pru­ritic aller­gic skin disease, often asso­ci­ated with IgE pro­duc­tion against envi­ron­men­tal aller­gens. There is evi­dence of genetic abnor­mal­i­ties, an altered immune system with cuta­neous inflam­ma­tion, and a skin barrier defect.

The most common signs are scratch­ing, itching, odor, hair loss and scaly skin. Golden Retriever, German Shep­herd, Labrador and Pug are among the most sus­cep­ti­ble breeds.

Target and mechanism

What the vaccine does

Xep02 is a recom­bi­nant fusion immuno­gen that elicits anti­bod­ies against inter­leukin-31 (IL-31), a key itch cytokine in dogs, and Sub­stance P. In atopic skin, Sub­stance P released by sen­si­tized nerve endings acti­vates mast cells and sus­tains chronic neu­ro­genic inflam­ma­tion, which keeps itch and IL-31 going. By neu­tral­iz­ing both, Xep02 targets the loop behind chronic itch.

How the platform works →
Evidence

Safety and efficacy

Safety

  • Studies in dogs showed that Xep02 is safe and well tol­er­ated.
  • A pilot safety trial in dogs con­firmed no sig­nif­i­cant local or sys­temic adverse effects.
  • A new safety study in Chile is planned.

Efficacy

  • Studies in dogs with atopic der­mati­tis showed that Xep02 con­trols itch and reduces skin inflam­ma­tion.
  • A double-blind, placebo-con­trolled trial of Xep02 has been com­pleted, with pos­i­tive effi­cacy results.
  • Dogs scratched less, their skin improved and their quality of life improved, with an effect that lasts for months after the course.
  • The result was repro­duced in an inde­pen­dent cohort of dogs.
  • A new open-label trial is under­way in Uruguay.
Partnering

Interested in this program?

Pro­to­cols, study reports and the reg­u­la­tory package are avail­able to qual­i­fied part­ners under con­fi­den­tial­ity.