Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC (LSE:HEMO, OTC:HOPHF), the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced a significant breakthrough in the delivery of Chimeric Bait Receptors (CBR) to immune cells, marking an important step forward in its development pipeline.
This unique approach focuses on enhancing the efficacy of the body's innate immune cells, particularly macrophages and monocytes — white blood cells that serve as the first line of defence against infections and remove damaged or diseased cells.
To do this it uses lentiviral vectors, which are specially engineered viruses designed to introduce new genetic material into cells, allowing for highly efficient transformation of immune cells.
By employing this technology, Hemogenyx has achieved long-lasting and effective expression of the CBR within these immune cells, which has the potential to significantly enhance their performance in targeting harmful elements in the body.
The company believes that this new approach will accelerate the development of CBR-based product candidates, advancing them towards Investigational New Drug-enabling studies.
CEO, Dr Vladislav Sandler, said: "Overcoming the challenges of efficiently delivering CBRs to myeloid immune cells has been a key focus for our team, and this breakthrough underscores their dedication and ingenuity.
"We remain committed to leveraging this technology to bring transformative therapies to the clinic and, ultimately, to patients in need.
"Once sufficient resources are available to CBR, we are confident in our ability to translate these scientific breakthroughs into impactful treatments."