Our first target
Myasthenia gravis
A rare but well-understood neuromuscular autoimmune disease. Why current treatments only manage symptoms or broadly suppress immunity, and where our approach makes a difference.
Our first target
Myasthenia gravis (MG)
Myasthenia gravis is a rare but not exceptional autoimmune disease, diagnosed in roughly one person in 5,000 to 7,000, with an estimated 15,000 new cases diagnosed each year across Europe, the United States, and Japan.
It is characterized by muscle fatigue leading to extreme weakness. The immune system produces antibodies that attack the receptors at the nerve-muscle junction. The muscles controlling voluntary movement are affected, including those involved in swallowing and breathing. The first symptoms usually involve the eyelids, vision, swallowing, and speech.
CuraVac is developing the first Targeted Active Therapy (TAT) for MG · aiming for lasting improvement, or even remission, after just a few injections.
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patients in need of treatment over 5 years (EU, US, Japan).
Supportive therapies
Current treatments are limited to relieving symptoms or dampening the immune response as a whole, without addressing the underlying cause of the disease.
Current treatments, and their limitations
Symptomatic
Prolongs the presence of acetylcholine by antagonizing acetylcholinesterase (e.g., Mestinon®, related to insecticides).
Causal / immunosuppressant
Reduces the activity of the entire immune system · prednisone, azathioprine, cyclosporine, mycophenolate, sometimes cyclophosphamide, including the new biologics . anti-C5 mAbs, anti-FcRn mAbs
Acute phases / surgery
Plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and often thymectomy (removal of the thymus).
These symptomatic or suppressive options are burdensome and associated with significant side effects. They constitute supportive therapies that provide relief but fail to target the cause of the disease — this is precisely what CuraVac intends to change.
The difference
CV-MG02 vs. current treatments
Where current treatments only partially contain the disease or its symptoms, our Targeted Active Therapy tackles the cause: selectively neutralizing the responsible autoantibodies, while preserving the rest of the immune system.
Current treatments
Containing the disease
- General immunosuppression: dampens the entire immune system, without achieving remission.
- Symptomatic relief only, at the cost of very frequent dosing — anticholinesterase drugs must be taken every three to four hours.
- Heavy, sometimes serious side effects — for temporary and partial control of the disease.
CV-MG02 · Targeted Active Therapy
Tackling the cause
- Selectively neutralizes the harmful autoantibodies while leaving the rest of the immune system intact.
- Just a few injections, for lasting improvement, even remission.
- Platform demonstrator, extendable to other autoimmune diseases (Graves, lupus, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis).
Pioneering clinical‑stage approach (first-in-class): if efficacy is confirmed in Phase 2/3, it would offer significant advantages over current treatment options. CV-MG02 is the improved human formulation, more potent than the original, CV-MG01.
Explore the science
Explore the mechanism of the complementary peptide, step by step, or consult the scientific publications that underpin our work.