In his presentation, Laurent Audoly outlined the progress and ambitions of PriveBio, a development-stage organisation focused on targeted therapeutics for diseases driven by specific proteins, particularly those implicated in organ fibrosis and inflammation. Audoly began by contextualising the severity of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), noting that its five-year survival rate is comparable to that of stage 4 lung cancer, underscoring the urgent need for innovative treatments.
Audoly highlighted the limitations of current weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, pointing out that real-world outcomes fall short of clinical trial results, and even the best available interventions do not sufficiently address the unmet needs in heart failure. He emphasised that greater weight reduction correlates with improved cardiovascular outcomes, but existing therapies remain inadequate.
To address this, Audoly’s team has leveraged big data workflows to identify actionable disease-causing proteins, leading to the development of two first-in-class therapeutic antibodies. The lead candidate, PRV-101, targets endotrophin: a protein secreted by dysfunctional adipocytes and fibroblasts, which contributes to multi-system malfunction. The second programme, 501, is also first-in-class and addresses a different unmet medical need.
Audoly described the evolution towards precision medicine, advocating for deeper molecular endotyping to better match patients with appropriate therapies. He credited the organisation’s collaborative approach between academia and biotech as a key strength, and noted the interest from cardiologists due to the lack of therapeutic innovation in this field.
The presentation detailed the pathogenic role of endotrophin, its prognostic value in HFpEF, and its causal link to coronary artery disease, as supported by both internal and external studies. Audoly presented preclinical data demonstrating that neutralising endotrophin reverses disease phenotypes in animal models, including improvements in exercise tolerance and reductions in fibrosis and inflammation.
He concluded by outlining the clinical development plan, which includes standard Phase 1 trials targeting both heart failure and kidney disease, and expressed optimism that their approach will significantly advance the treatment landscape for these challenging conditions.
