Chimeric Bait Receptors for Combatting Airborne Viral Infections Can Be Delivered Intranasally

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / February 14, 2024 / Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals plc (LSE:HEMO),the clinical stage biopharmaceutical group,announces that it has demonstrated in vivo that its proprietary Chimeric Bait Receptor ("CBR") can be delivered intranasally in the form of messenger RNA ("mRNA") for the potential treatment of airborne viral infections.

CBR-based countermeasures against viral infections that are include a novel method of their delivery. To satisfy real-world requirements for the deployment of such countermeasures, they must be both easy to administer and have a long shelf life at ambient temperatures. CBR is a platform technology under development that aims to program the immune cells that are responsible for innate immunity (e.g., macrophages) to eliminate viruses and certain malignant cells.

Our team of scientists has demonstrated in vivo that mRNA encoding a CBR-based therapeutic can be mixed with a polymer and a solvent at room temperature to form polymer nanoparticles encapsulating mRNA. Such nanoparticles can be used to deliver CBR-coding mRNA into the upper respiratory tract ("URT") and lungs of small animals. Once administered, nanoparticles were shown to successfully deliver mRNA into the immune cells of the URT and lungs. The immune cells in turn begin making CBR molecules within hours post-application, potentially becoming active "defenders" against airborne infections.

As previously reported, the Company has been able to dramatically accelerate its research and development efforts by usingArtificial Intelligence ("AI") and in-house synthesis of mRNA. AI tools allow the Company's scientists to triage variants of CBR constructs efficiently to select those with the greatest likelihood of success, while in-house mRNA synthesis facilitates the rapid building of CBR constructs.

Dr Vladislav Sandler, CEO & Co-Founder of Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals, commented: "This major breakthrough in the method of delivery of our CBR demonstrates that it could potentially be used as an off-the-shelf prevention and/or treatment for viral infections. Intranasal delivery of CBR would be both cost-efficient and easy to administer, making it ideal for the protection of both the civilian population and in biodefense."

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation No 596/2014 (as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018) until the release of this announcement.

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About Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals plc

Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals is a publicly traded company (LSE: HEMO) headquartered in London, with its US operating subsidiaries, Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals LLC and Immugenyx LLC, located in New York City at its state-of-the-art research facility.

The Company is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical group developing new medicines and treatments for life-threatening diseases. Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals is developing several distinct and complementary product candidates, as well as a platform technology that it uses as an engine for novel product development.

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SOURCE: Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC