Alchemab Therapeutics: A New Approach to Antibody Discovery

Alchemab Therapeutics is a biotechnology company established in 2019, with a focus on developing antibody-based treatments for diseases with high unmet need. The company is headquartered in London with laboratory facilities in Cambridge, UK. Alchemab’s founding mission is to discover and develop novel therapeutics by identifying naturally occurring antibodies from individuals who show exceptional resilience to disease. This approach seeks to understand the protective mechanisms of the human immune system and use those insights to create new medicines. The company has secured significant funding from a syndicate of investors, including an initial seed round and a subsequent £60 million Series A financing, to advance its research platform and pipeline.

Understanding Alchemab’s Discovery Approach

Alchemab employs a target-agnostic method to drug discovery that inverts the traditional paradigm. Instead of starting with a known disease target and designing a drug to hit it, Alchemab begins by studying the biology of resilient individuals. These are people who, despite having risk factors like genetic predispositions, resist developing a disease or experience an unusually slow progression. The company hypothesizes that the immune systems of these individuals produce specific, protective antibodies that are absent in those who succumb to the illness.

This strategy involves analyzing the antibody repertoires—the complete collection of antibodies—from these resilient patient groups. Through deep B cell sequencing and advanced computational analysis, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, Alchemab identifies “convergent” antibody responses. This refers to the discovery of functionally identical or similar antibodies that are shared among the resilient individuals but are not found in patients with typical disease progression.

Once these shared, protective antibodies are identified, the company then works backward to determine their targets, or the specific molecules they bind to. This process not only yields potential antibody therapies directly but also uncovers novel biological targets that may have been previously unknown or overlooked in conventional research. This method allows the human immune system itself to point toward the most relevant disease-modifying pathways.

Targeted Disease Areas

Alchemab directs its discovery platform towards challenging areas in medicine, primarily focusing on neurodegenerative diseases and oncology. These fields are characterized by complex diseases where many underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, making them well-suited for Alchemab’s approach of learning from natural resistance.

In neurodegeneration, Alchemab is actively exploring conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and Huntington’s disease. The company’s platform is used to analyze samples from patients who show slowed disease progression to find antibodies that may confer this protection. This strategy is promising for neurodegenerative disorders where the development of disease-modifying therapies has been historically difficult. The discovery of naturally occurring neuroprotective antibodies could lead to first-in-class treatments.

Within oncology, Alchemab applies the same methodology by studying long-term cancer survivors to identify shared antibodies that may be responsible for their durable remission. The premise is that these antibodies could be developed into potent therapies for a broader patient population. The company is also exploring metabolic and infectious diseases, aiming to build a broad pipeline of protective therapeutics for hard-to-treat conditions.

Advancing Treatments Through Clinical Development

Alchemab is translating its discovery engine into a pipeline of potential new medicines, with several programs advancing through preclinical development. The company’s work has led to the identification of specific antibody candidates aimed at treating severe neurological disorders.

One of the company’s programs is ATLX-1088, which is being investigated for neurodegenerative diseases. Another candidate is ATLX-1282, a first-in-class antibody program being developed for ALS and other neurodegenerative conditions. This candidate was discovered by studying individuals who were genetically predisposed to frontotemporal dementia but remained healthy, leading to the identification of a potentially neuroprotective antibody.

Alchemab has entered into a licensing agreement for ATLX-1282. Under the terms of this deal, Alchemab will conduct early-phase clinical trials for ATLX-1282 in ALS, after which its partner will handle further development and commercialization.

Strategic Partnerships and Company Vision

Alchemab’s strategy relies on collaboration with academic institutions, biobanks, patient groups, and other biotechnology companies. These partnerships provide access to the well-characterized patient samples that power its research platform. The company has established relationships with institutions like Oxford University, Johns Hopkins University, and Mount Sinai Hospital, which were involved in the development of its approach.

A collaboration was established with Eli Lilly. In January 2025, the two companies agreed to a partnership to discover, develop, and commercialize up to five antibody therapies for ALS. This was followed by a licensing agreement in May 2025 for Alchemab’s lead candidate, ATLX-1282, in a deal worth up to $415 million plus potential royalties.

The company has also extended its partnership with the Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) to characterize antibodies for Alzheimer’s, frontotemporal dementia, and Huntington’s disease. This work utilizes advanced technologies like spatial transcriptomics and high-content imaging to understand the functional effects of the discovered antibodies.