This week, we chat with Affibody CEO David Bejker, and Martin Gleave, founder and chief medical officer at Sustained Therapeutics.
Times:
03:47 Affibody
23:28 Sustained Therapeutics
Sustained Therapeutics
A spin-out from the University of British Columbia in Canada, Sustained Therapeutics utilises a proprietary polymer gel technology to develop locally injected, long-acting medications. The platform is designed to release active pharmaceutical ingredients in a controlled manner over several weeks, aiming to replace traditional oral delivery or frequent injections.
While the primary focus is on managing acute and chronic pain without the use of opioids, the company is also exploring applications for the technology in inflammatory diseases and urology.
The core of the company’s pipeline involves a non-addictive, sustained-release formulation that targets the site of pain directly. By providing localized treatment, the technology seeks to minimize systemic side effects and reduce the patient’s reliance on addictive substances. Beyond pain management, the firm is adapting its delivery system for oncological use, specifically targeting upper tract urothelial carcinoma, where localized, prolonged drug exposure is clinically advantageous.
In January 2026, the company reported positive data from its phase II clinical trial for a long-acting non-opioid medication designed for chronic pain. The results indicated that the sustained-release mechanism effectively extended pain relief while maintaining a favourable safety profile. These findings support the continued expansion of their clinical program into other chronic pain indications, including pelvic and scrotal pain, which are slated for further study throughout the year.
Affibody
Affibody, a Swedish clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm, is developing a new class of small proteins known as Affibody molecules. These engineered proteins are significantly smaller than traditional monoclonal antibodies—roughly one-tenth the size—which allows for better tissue penetration and flexible formatting for multi-specific treatments. The company’s research spans two main pillars: immunology and radiopharmaceuticals, leveraging its library of more than 10bn unique protein sequences to identify highly specific binders for various disease targets.
The company’s most advanced clinical candidate, izokibep, is an IL-17A inhibitor being evaluated for autoimmune conditions such as psoriatic arthritis and hidradenitis suppurativa. In the oncology space, the firm is applying its platform to radioligand therapy (RLT), where small protein binders carry radioactive isotopes directly to tumour cells. This approach is intended to maximize the therapeutic dose delivered to the cancer while minimizing radiation exposure to healthy organs, particularly the kidneys.
Recent activity has centred on a significant financial and clinical milestone. In late January 2026, the company launched a $29m rights issue, fully guaranteed by its lead shareholder, to fund its expanding radiopharmaceutical pipeline. This capital injection follows successful early-stage data for its RLT candidate, ABY-271; a Trial Review Committee recently recommended advancing the candidate to the second part of a phase I study in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer after initial patient cohorts showed promising safety and biodistribution.
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