TIDMPOLB
RNS Number : 5047D
Poolbeg Pharma PLC
22 June 2023
Poolbeg Pharma Plc
Oral Vaccine Programme Moves Forward
Next Generation Oral Vaccine Programme Advancing Through
Non-Dilutive Funding
22 June 2023 - Poolbeg Pharma (AIM: POLB, OTCQB: POLBF,
'Poolbeg' or the 'Company'), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company focusing on infectious and other prevalent diseases with
high unmet medical needs, announces an update to its Oral Vaccine
Programme following the award of non-dilutive grant funding by the
Irish Government's Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund ("DTIF")
in November 2022 , as part of the Poolbeg led EncOVac
Consortium[1]. Having finalised the research plan and all
consortium members completing the Consortium and Grant Agreements,
the EncOVac Consortium parties are now entering the next phase to
commence the validation of the encapsulation process. The
validation is expected to complete in H2 2023.
Taking place over three years, the EncOVac Consortium is funded
to develop a Phase I clinical trial ready oral vaccine candidate.
The agreed research plan includes several stages of work and once
the encapsulation process, developed by AnaBio Technologies, has
been successfully validated, the consortium will proceed to
encapsulate vaccine antigen candidates developed by Associate
Professor Siobhán McClean at University College Dublin ('UCD')
together with adjuvants identified by Professor Ed Lavelle at
Trinity College Dublin. This oral vaccine candidate will then
complete all required non-clinical testing in preparation for a
Phase I clinical trial.
Poolbeg's Oral Vaccine Programme will possess the capability to
generate vaccines for a wide range of diseases and represents a
significant commercial opportunity. The platform has the potential
to be licensed to partners or developed internally within Poolbeg,
positioning the Company to help tackle a broad range of infectious
diseases, which has the potential to make a positive impact on
public health.
Dr. Jeremy Skillington, Chief Executive Officer of Poolbeg,
commented : "The validation of the encapsulation process is a key
step in the creation of a Phase I clinical trial ready oral vaccine
candidate and Poolbeg is proud to lead the EncOVac Consortium.
Delivering oral vaccines to the gut has the potential to
revolutionise global protection against infectious disease. In
contrast to intramuscular vaccines that generate systemic immunity,
oral vaccines induce mucosal immunity, which can induce better
protection against pathogens at the site of infection."
Dr. Aidan Fitzsimons, Chief Executive Officer of AnaBio
Technologies, remarked "This is a very exciting step in the
development of next generation vaccines. With the EncOVac
consortium, and in partnership with Poolbeg, UCD and Trinity, we
can develop effective oral vaccine candidates that can provide a
more accessible and efficient solution to preventing a range of
infectious diseases."
Associate Professor Siobhán McClean, UCD School of Biomolecular
and Biomedical Science, said, "Having worked in the fields of
chronic infection and vaccine development for many years, this
consortium has the potential to be immensely beneficial for the
development of oral vaccines. By triggering mucosal immunity, we
can target the areas where pathogens enter the body, resulting in
more effective and long-lasting protective responses, benefitting
both patients and public healthcare systems."
Professor Ed Lavelle, Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Trinity
College Dublin, added "The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the
need for innovative approaches to vaccine development. The EncOVac
consortium's focus on oral vaccines has the potential to address
the key challenges associated with vaccination against mucosal
pathogens by inducing local immune responses at the site of
infection. By developing an effective oral vaccine candidate, we
can improve accessibility and reduce the burden on healthcare
systems, while also providing more effective protection against
infectious diseases."
- Ends -
Enquiries
Poolbeg Pharma Plc
Jeremy Skillington, CEO
Ian O'Connell, CFO +44 (0) 207 183 1499
finnCap Ltd (Nominated Adviser &
Joint Broker)
Geoff Nash, Charlie Beeson, Nigel
Birks, Harriet Ward (ECM) +44 (0) 207 220 0500
Singer Capital Markets (Joint Broker)
Phil Davies, Sam Butcher +44 (0) 207 496 3000
J&E Davy (Joint Broker)
Anthony Farrell, Niall Gilchrist +353 (0) 1 679 6363
Optimum Strategic Communications +44 (0) 208 078 4357
Nick Bastin, Hana Malik, Vici Rabbetts poolbeg@optimumcomms.com
About Poolbeg Pharma
Poolbeg Pharma specialises in the development of innovative
medicines to address the unmet need in infectious and other
prevalent diseases. Poolbeg has a disciplined portfolio approach to
mitigate risk, accelerate drug development, and enhance investor
returns. The Company simultaneously advances multiple programmes in
cost-effective clinical trials, rapidly generating early human
safety and efficacy data to enable early partnering /
out-licensing, with the funds generated reinvested in the pipeline.
Poolbeg also uses AI to interrogate human challenge trial data sets
to quickly identify new targets and drugs, and in-license near or
in the clinic medicines, leading to faster development and greater
commercial appeal.
The Company is targeting the growing infectious disease market.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious disease has become
one of the fastest growing pharma markets and is expected to exceed
$250bn by 2025. Through opportunistic identification of assets
which complement Poolbeg's existing pipeline, the Company is
progressing programmes in oncology and metabolic syndromes; adding
disease areas with significant addressable markets.
With its initial assets from hVIVO plc (formerly Open Orphan
plc), an industry leading infectious disease and human challenge
trials business, Poolbeg has access to knowledge, experience, and
clinical data from over 20 years of human challenge trials. The
Company is using these insights to acquire new assets as well as
reposition clinical stage products, reducing spend and risk.
Amongst its portfolio of exciting assets, Poolbeg has a small
molecule immunomodulator for severe influenza and other acute
inflammatory conditions (POLB 001) which produces a highly
significant reduction in p38 MAP kinase driven cytokines in a
clinical setting; a first-in-class, intranasally administered
RNA-based immunotherapy for respiratory virus infections (POLB
002); and a vaccine candidate for Melioidosis (POLB 003). The
Company is also developing two O ral Delivery Programmes and is
progressing two A rtificial I ntelligence (AI) P rogrammes to add
promising new assets to its pipeline.
For more information, please go to www.poolbegpharma.com or
follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn @PoolbegPharma.
About AnaBio Technologies
AnaBio Technologies is a specialist microencapsulation company,
focused on improving health and performance through
micro-encapsulation of sensitive bioactive ingredients for food,
beverage and pharmaceutical applications. Founded in 2011 by Dr
Sinead Bleiel, and based in Carrigtwohill Co Cork, AnaBio has
developed into a global leader in the field of micro encapsulation
with 15 patent families and clients across N America, Asia, and
EU.
Bioactives and APIs clearly bestow health benefits, but are
vulnerable to being inactivated by environmental stresses
encountered during processing, storage and digestion. This can
result in limited quantities of intact active bioactives reaching
the site of action in the body, and no health benefit.
Microencapsulation represents a sophisticated delivery system
designed to overcome this problem. A protective coat is created at
microscopic level around the bioactive or API which protects the
ingredient from a wide range of environmental conditions, enables
its release at the appropriate site within the body, and thereby
ensures that the potential health benefits of the bioactive are
fully realised. AnaBio Technologies offers its clients a range of
services including contract research to develop bespoke
microencapsulation solutions, commercial scale manufacture and
supply of microencapsulated ingredients and licensing of its
patented microencapsulated technology.
For further information, visit www.anabio.ie or email aidan.fitzsimons@anabio.ie .
About University College Dublin ("UCD")
UCD is Ireland's largest and most diverse university and one of
Europe's leading research-intensive universities. Since 1854 UCD
has made a unique contribution to the creation of modern Ireland,
based on successful engagement with Irish society on every level
and across every sphere of activity. As Ireland's leading
university in innovation, knowledge transfer and commercialisation,
UCD's commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship recognises the
importance of active participation and collaboration to exploit
leading-edge research and development outputs. As set-out in Rising
to the Future 2020-2024 UCD's four strategic themes are; creating a
sustainable global society, transforming through digital
technology, building a healthy world, and empowering humanity.
For further information, visit www.ucd.ie
About Trinity College Dublin ("TCD")
Trinity College Dublin, founded in 1592, is Ireland's oldest
university. Today it has a vibrant community of over 20,000
students and is recognised internationally as Ireland's premier
university, currently 98th in the QS University World Rankings.
Cutting edge research, technology and innovation places the
university at the forefront of higher education in Ireland and
globally. It encompasses all major academic disciplines, and is
committed to world-class teaching and research across a range of
disciplines in the arts, humanities, engineering, science, social
and health sciences. Trinity is Europe's leading university for
graduate entrepreneurship and has placed innovation and
entrepreneurship at the heart of its strategy - from the
development of plans for a new innovation campus at Grand Canal
Quay, to the establishment of the University Bridge I and
University Bridge Fund II.
For further information, visit www.tcd.ie
[1] The EncOVac consortium is led by Poolbeg in partnership with
AnaBio Technologies ('AnaBio'), University College Dublin ('UCD'),
and Trinity College Dublin ('Trinity').
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