Noxopharm Ltd (ASX:NOX) collaborator Hudson Institute of Medical Research has been granted A$1.45 million from the Victorian Government to fund a joint development program into novel therapeutics to block inflammation.
Pharmorage Pty Ltd, Noxopharm’s wholly-owned subsidiary, has been named on the grant as the collaborator to design and synthetise the compounds with the view of commercialising any promising drug candidates generated by the research.
It is hoped that any outcomes of the research will extent Noxopharm’s portfolio of anti-inflammatory therapeutics.
Network of collaborators
“Noxopharm has built a network of collaborators spanning world-renowned academic and government institutions, including Hudson Institute,” Noxopharm CEO Dr Gisela Mautner said.
“We are excited the collaboration with Hudson Institute is attracting this level of non-dilutive funding. We look forward to progressing our work in inflammatory diseases with them.”
The Hudson Institute of Medical Research is a global bioscience medical research leader, aiming to improve human health through collaborative, medical research discoveries and the translation of these to real world impact.
Hudson Institute scientists research five areas of medical need:
- Inflammation
- Reproductive health and pregnancy
- Infant and child health
- Cancer
- Hormones and health
The research is set to start in the coming weeks and run for about two years.
About the research
The goal of this research is to identify novel drug compounds that dampen harmful excessive inflammation associated with COVID-19 infection.
If any drug candidates show promise of broader inflammatory indications, Noxopharm is likely to investigate their commercial and scientific potential.
Reducing excessive inflammation during COVID-19 infection is a critical part of limiting virus associated hospitalisations, intensive care admissions and deaths.
There is mounting evidence to suggest that chronic inflammation underpins post-infectious syndromes associated with long-COVID, which may impact as many as 60% of COVID-19 patients.
This research aims to fast-track the therapeutic development of new, targeted therapies to help manage acute and chronic inflammation.
About Noxopharm
Noxopharm has three active drug development programs: its lead clinical-stage drug candidate Veyonda® and two innovative technology platforms – Chroma™ (oncology) and Sofra™ (inflammation and autoimmunity), which provide the basis for active development of a growing pipeline of new proprietary drugs.
Noxopharm also has a major shareholding in the US biotech company Nyrada (ASX:NYR) Inc, which is active in the areas of drug development for cardiovascular and neurological diseases.