NaNotics and Mayo Clinic to collaborate on nanomedicine cancer treatment
pharmafile | January 5, 2022 | News story | Research and Development |
Nanomedical company NaNotics have announced a research collaboration with Mayo Clinic, to develop a NaNot that targets the soluble form of PD-L1, a tumour-generated immune inhibitor.
NaNots, developed and commercialised by NaNotics, are a novel subtractive nanoparticle that treats disease by capturing and clearing pathogenic molecules from blood.
The companies aim to file an investigational new drug (IND) application with the FDA, and commence clinical trials within two years.
Cancer cells with high levels of PD-L1 are able to “trick” the immune system into not attacking them, allowing the tumours to advance. Whilst approved drugs against PD-L1 are currently on the market, they are limited in their capabilities.
NaNots deplete soluble targets without engaging membrane forms of the same target, and they offer ultra-low toxicity in comparison to drug therapies.
Sean Park, MD, PhD, oncologist at Mayo Clinic, stated, “Our team has been studying sPD-L1 for several years. We believe it’s a key driver of immune evasion for many tumour types. The ability to deplete sPD-L1 without incurring the toxicity of drugs against PD-L1 is potentially significant. We’re excited to collaborate with NaNotics and test NaNots against sPD-L1 in humans for the first time.”
Lou Hawthorne, CEO of NaNotics and the inventor of NaNots – the subject of 12 granted patents to date, added: “Collaborating with Dr Park and his team at Mayo Clinic is a dream come true for us. Not only are they world-class scientists with extensive human trial experience, but they also possess deep knowledge of sPD-L1 specifically. Dr Park’s team includes Haidong Dong, MD, PhD, co-discoverer of PD-L1.
All they need is a way to deplete the target, which we’re happy to provide with our platform. Together, we have an opportunity to explore a fundamentally new kind of treatment that could contribute to improved outcomes for millions of cancer patients.”
Lina Adams
