Ceapro Inc. Expands Collaborative Research Program with McMaster University to Develop an Inhalable Immuno-Therapeutic/-Prophylactic for COVID-19-Induced Lung Fibrosis
August 11 2022 - 8:05AM
Ceapro Inc. (TSX-V: CZO;
OTCQX: CRPOF) (“Ceapro” or the
“Company”), a growth-stage biotechnology company focused
on the development and commercialization of active ingredients for
healthcare and cosmetic industries, announced it has entered into
an additional research project expanding on the ongoing
collaboration with McMaster University to develop an inhalable
immuno-therapeutic/-prophylactic for COVID-19-induced lung
fibrosis. The research project, entitled “PGX-processed yeast
beta-glucans as an inhalable immuno-therapeutic/-prophylactic for
COVID-19-induced lung fibrosis,” is aimed at developing a treatment
for individuals suffering from the long-term effects of COVID-19.
This project builds on the collaboration between
Dr. Kietjl Ask, Dr. Todd Hoare and Ceapro’s labs initiated in
August 2019 aimed at developing innovative drug delivery systems
using the disruptive PGX Technology to optimize drug formulations
used in areas of high unmet medical needs such as idiopathic lung
fibrosis and antibiotic-resistant infections. To date, the PGX
Technology has demonstrated the ability to purify and dry yeast
beta glucan (YBG) into uniform inhalable particles that could
modulate the immune system through a specific mechanism of action.
Findings are under peer review.
“It is very exciting to see that modulators of
pro-fibrotic macrophages emerge as novel anti-fibrotic therapeutic
agents potentially useful for patients with fibrotic disease,”
commented Dr. Ask. “We are very pleased to continue to contribute
toward the development of this exciting therapeutic strategy.”
The expanded research program will be under the
leadership of Dr. Ask, and Dr. Hoare at McMaster University.
Additionally, Dr. Martin Kolb will join in co-leading the project.
Dr. Kolb is a Professor within the Division of Respirology in the
Department of Medicine and Pathology & Molecular Medicine and
the Research Director of the Firestone Institute for Respiratory
Health at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hospital. His research insight on
mechanisms of lung injury, repair and fibrosis along with his
clinical first-hand experience with several hundred patients on
interstitial lung disease and COVID-19-induced lung fibrosis well
positions him to be an invaluable additional expert to Drs. Ask and
Hoare.
To advance this promising technology into
clinical trials, the aim of the project is to optimize the delivery
of PGX-YBG to the lung and validate its performance for reducing
lung fibrosis, both alone and loaded with an anti-inflammatory drug
currently used for COVID-19 therapy. “We are excited to build on
the promising results we have already achieved with PGX-Processed
yeast beta-glucan to advance this technology closer to the clinic
and ultimately benefit patients,” said Dr. Hoare.
The long-term effects of COVID-19 on individual
health remain to be elucidated, with numerous reports emerging of
fibrotic changes in the lung beyond the acute phase of the disease.
Dr. Kolb explained, “Pulmonary fibrosis continues to be a disease
group with major unmet clinical need for many patients in Canada
and across the world. I am grateful for the opportunity to tackle
the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in partnership with such an
innovative group of people at Ceapro.”
“Conducting research during a pandemic has been
a major challenge, but the McMaster and Ceapro research teams have
been relentless despite all the challenges and I would like to
thank them and applaud the innovative work that they have
accomplished so far,” stated Gilles Gagnon, M.Sc., MBA, President
and CEO of Ceapro. “Under the leadership of Drs. Kolb, Ask and
Hoare, I feel confident that this project will bring benefits to
patients while creating value for shareholders.”
Ceapro, in collaboration with Mitacs, a
national, not-for-profit organization that has fostered growth and
innovation in Canada for over 20 years, will help provide funding
for the three post-graduate students involved in this project over
the next year.
About Pressurized Gas eXpanded Liquid
Technology (PGX)
Ceapro’s patented Pressurized Gas eXpanded (PGX)
technology is a unique and disruptive technology with several key
advantages over conventional drying and purification technologies
that can be used to process biopolymers into high-value,
fine-structured, openporous polymer structures and novel
biocomposites. PGX is ideally suited for processing challenging
high-molecular-weight, water-soluble biopolymers. It has the
ability to make ultra-light, highly porous polymer structures on a
continuous basis, which is not possible using today's conventional
technologies. PGX was invented by Dr. Feral Temelli from the
Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science of the
University of Alberta (U of A) along with Dr. Bernhard Seifried,
now Senior Director of Engineering Research and Technology at
Ceapro. The license from U of A provides Ceapro with exclusive
worldwide rights in all industrial applications.
About McMaster
University
McMaster University, one of four Canadian
universities listed among the Top 100 universities in the world, is
renowned for its innovation in both learning and discovery. It has
a student population of 23,000 and more than 175,000 alumni in 140
countries.
McMaster University is a globally renowned
institution of higher learning and an innovative research community
committed to advancing human and societal health and well-being.
Our focus on collaboratively exchanging ideas and approaches makes
us uniquely positioned to pioneer groundbreaking solutions to
real-world problems leading to a Brighter World.
About Mitacs
Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that
fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business
challenges with research solutions from the best academic
institutions in the world. Mitacs is funded by the Government of
Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British
Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova
Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government
of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of
Yukon.
For Mitacs news, please visit:
www.mitacs.ca/en/newsroom
About Ceapro Inc.
Ceapro Inc. is a Canadian biotechnology company
involved in the development of proprietary extraction technology
and the application of this technology to the production of
extracts and “active ingredients” from oats and other renewable
resources. Ceapro adds further value to its extracts by supporting
their use in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and therapeutics
products for humans and animals. The Company has a broad range of
expertise in natural product chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry,
immunology and process engineering. These skills merge in the
fields of active ingredients, biopharmaceuticals and drug-delivery
solutions. For more information on Ceapro, please visit the
Company’s website at www.ceapro.com.
For more information contact:
Jenene ThomasJTC Team, LLCInvestor Relations and Corporate
Communications AdvisorT (US): +1 (833) 475-8247E: czo@jtcir.com
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