Poolbeg Pharma PLC (AIM:POLB, OTCQB:POLBF) said work will get underway in the summer to assess its lead asset in the clinic.
Its POLB 001 treatment has been developed to tackle the severe hyperinflammatory effects of influenza.
Researchers at the Centre for Human Drug Research will assess the drug’s potential by simulating the extreme reaction to flu in healthy volunteers. It will do so using a bacterial lipopolysaccharide human challenge study.
Under the clinical trial agreement announced Thursday, work will get underway in June with top-line data expected by the end of the year.
The company is then looking to "rapidly monetise" the asset by partnering or out-licensing POLB 001 to a larger life sciences business for further development.
Poolbeg chief executive, Jeremy Skillington, said: “We are looking forward to receiving the broad spectrum of data from this study, given that it will be completed both intradermally and intravenously, thus maximizing the data package that can be shared with any potential pharma or biotech licensing partner."