Akston Biosciences Presents Promising Data for a New Canine Osteoarthritis Treatment at ACVIM 2026
Watching a dog struggle with arthritis can be difficult for any pet owner. Simple activities like walking, climbing stairs, or playing fetch can become painful as osteoarthritis progresses.
New research from Propel(x) portfolio company Akston Biosciences suggests that future treatments could help address these challenges with potentially longer-lasting pain relief and fewer veterinary visits.
At the 2026 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum, Akston presented encouraging data from a head-to-head canine study evaluating its NGF-targeting Ambifect® candidates, AKS-548d and AKS-734.
The findings demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in osteoarthritis pain and function that were generally consistent with bedinvetmab (Librela®), an approved therapy for managing osteoarthritis pain in dogs.
What Is Osteoarthritis in Dogs?
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting dogs, particularly senior pets. The disease causes the gradual breakdown of joint cartilage, leading to pain, stiffness, inflammation, and reduced mobility.
Common symptoms include:
- Difficulty getting up after resting
- Reluctance to jump or climb stairs
- Reduced activity levels
- Limping or stiffness
- Changes in behavior due to chronic pain
As pets are living longer, the need for safe and effective long-term treatment options continues to grow.
How Akston Biosciences’ Canine Osteoarthritis Treatment Works
Akston’s approach is based on its proprietary Ambifect® platform.
Rather than repeatedly administering externally manufactured antibodies, the platform is designed to stimulate the dog’s own immune system to generate antibodies against Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a key protein involved in transmitting chronic pain signals.
By targeting NGF, the therapy aims to reduce pain and improve mobility in dogs suffering from osteoarthritis.
This approach may offer several potential advantages, including:
- Durable pain relief
- Fewer veterinary visits
- Reduced treatment burden for pet owners
- Fixed dosing independent of body weight
- Potentially longer intervals between treatments
Key Findings From the Study
The study evaluated the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of AKS-548d and AKS-734 in dogs.
Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Pain and Function
Dogs treated with both candidates experienced reductions in osteoarthritis pain and improvements in mobility and function.
Researchers observed improvements across multiple clinically relevant osteoarthritis assessments, suggesting that the therapies may help dogs regain comfort and quality of life.
Durable Anti-NGF Responses
Both AKS-548d and AKS-734 generated endogenous anti-NGF antibody responses that successfully neutralized NGF-TrkA binding, an important pathway involved in chronic pain signaling.
Importantly, AKS-548d demonstrated durable responses lasting approximately 120 days.
This finding raises the possibility that future treatments may require fewer injections than currently available monthly therapies.
Favorable Safety Profile
The candidates were generally well tolerated.
Researchers reported:
- No treatment-related serious adverse events
- No treatment-related trends in clinical pathology findings
- No concerning changes in body weight
- Mild to moderate injection-site reactions that resolved over time
These findings support the continued development of both candidates.
Why Longer-Lasting Treatments Matter
Current anti-NGF therapies have already validated NGF as an important target for managing canine osteoarthritis pain.
However, long-term treatment can still create challenges for pet owners and veterinarians, including:
- Ongoing treatment costs
- Monthly veterinary appointments
- Treatment adherence challenges
- Increased burden for owners of larger or aging pets
A therapy that can provide longer-lasting benefits with fewer doses could significantly improve convenience while maintaining effective pain management.
Leadership Perspective
Commenting on the findings, Todd Zion, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Akston Biosciences, highlighted the need for practical long-term treatment options for dogs living with osteoarthritis.
According to Zion, while monthly anti-NGF therapies have validated this pathway as an important target, chronic treatment can still create cost, compliance, and visit-burden challenges for pet owners and veterinarians.
He noted that Akston’s Ambifect® platform may offer a differentiated approach with the potential for durable NGF neutralization, fixed dosing independent of body weight, and fewer veterinary visits.
“That is exactly the kind of innovation we believe animal health needs,” said Todd Zion, PhD, Co-founder and CEO of Akston Biosciences.
Tom Lancaster, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Akston Biosciences, also emphasized the significance of the findings.
According to Lancaster, both AKS-548d and AKS-734 induced anti-NGF antibody responses that were associated with improvements across multiple clinically relevant osteoarthritis assessments.
He further noted that the candidates demonstrated a favorable tolerability profile, with no treatment-related serious adverse events identified.
“That combination of activity and tolerability supports continued development of both candidates as we move toward evaluation in client-owned dogs,” said Tom Lancaster, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Akston Biosciences.
What Comes Next?
The study represents an important step in the development of Akston’s next-generation animal health therapies.
The company plans to continue evaluating AKS-548d and AKS-734 in future studies involving client-owned dogs with naturally occurring osteoarthritis.
These additional studies will help determine whether the encouraging early findings can translate into broader real-world benefits for companion animals.
Advancing Innovation in Companion Animal Health
The latest data further demonstrate the potential of Akston’s Ambifect® platform to develop long-acting, species-specific biologics for veterinary medicine.
As the prevalence of osteoarthritis continues to rise among aging pets, innovative therapies that combine efficacy, safety, and convenience could meaningfully improve quality of life for millions of dogs and their owners.
Akston’s recent findings represent another important milestone in the company’s efforts to address significant unmet needs in companion animal health.
