# A First-in-Class Therapeutic Antibody for Treatment of Acromegaly

> **NIH NIH R44** · ELIXERA, INC. · 2024 · $1,035,589

## Abstract

Project Summary: Acromegaly is a chronic, rare endocrine disorder that affects approximately 21,000 adults in
the US that is most often caused by a non-cancerous pituitary tumor that secrets excess growth hormone. Left
untreated, chronic overproduction of growth hormone and subsequent stimulation of insulin-like growth factor-1
in other tissues shortens the the average life expectancy by 10 years from diagnosis. The disease is associated
with 2- to 3-fold increased mortality and serious health complications and comorbidities. These include
cardiovascular disease, respiratory disorders, and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and impaired lipid
metabolism. The broad consensus is that effective treatment is achieved by strict growth hormone control,
demonstrated by the beneficial effects on comorbidities and mortality. When surgery either fails to completely
remove the pituitary adenoma or is not an option, medical therapy is required for long-term hormone control.
However, control is achieved in only half of patients by the existing therapies. There is a clear unmet medical
need for a therapy that achieves long-term hormone control consistently across the acromegaly patient
population. Elixera’s goal is to develop a novel therapeutic as a first-in-class treatment of acromegaly that fulfills
this unmet medical need. In Phase 1 of this grant, we identified a novel antibody therapeutic that was highly
potent in blocking growth hormone activity. The aim of the Phase 2 grant is to prepare the therapeutic candidate
for manufacture and preclinical toxicology studies and begin clinical trial testing in acromegaly patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11008939
- **Project number:** 2R44DK126579-02A1
- **Recipient organization:** ELIXERA, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Adiba Zanghi
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,035,589
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2024-09-05 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11008939

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11008939, A First-in-Class Therapeutic Antibody for Treatment of Acromegaly (2R44DK126579-02A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11008939. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*