AUSTIN, Texas /CitizenWire/ — Caisson Biotech and parent company Heparinex are pleased to announce that they have received a positive examination report from the European Patent Office for a patent covering the chemoenzymatic production of heparosan utilized in the HEPtune® drug delivery platform. Once certified, the new patent family will increase patent coverage across Europe, adding to the U.S. holdings.
The HEPtune platform, which utilizes heparosan, a naturally occurring polysaccharide, has been validated as a novel half-life extension and drug delivery alternative to commonly used polyethylene glycol (PEG). Unlike PEG, heparosan is naturally found in humans, is completely biodegradable, and will not trigger anaphylactic shock or anti-drug antibodies. The HEPtune platform has been applied to numerous drug classes including biologics, and small molecules via nanocarriers, including liposomes.
In addition to positive news received by the EPO, Heparinex is excited to announce that it has created a new class of sugar polymers, sulfated hepbiuronic acid (sHBA) that mimic some, but not all, of the desirable activities of heparin, a drug employed to treat many diseases including the fight against severe COVID-19 and influenza. These novel patent-pending drug candidates can quell the initiation of inflammation, but do not inhibit blood coagulation, thus can be used to protect organs such as the lungs, heart, and kidneys that are often damaged by the body’s own defenses during disease without the risk of bleeding. The sHBA should be a useful addition to the arsenal of drugs currently dispensed to treat hyper-inflammation spawned by infectious, cardiovascular, and auto-immune diseases.
Heparosan conjugation was developed by Presidential Professor Dr. Paul DeAngelis at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) and includes a robust U.S. and international patent portfolio. “Our goal is to decipher and harness the natural ‘sugar codes’ in the body in more selective, customized fashion to target diseases and reduce side effects. We are excited by the possibilities for better medicines”, said DeAngelis. He was named as one of the most influential researchers in the world according to a study led by an investigator at Stanford University and published in PLOS Biology.
About Caisson Biotech, LLC
Caisson Biotech, LLC is a collaboration driven biotechnology company specializing in the development of heparosan polymers to improve therapeutic drug delivery and performance. Caisson’s HEPtune® technology was invented by Chief Scientist and University of Oklahoma Professor Dr. Paul DeAngelis, a world renowned glycobiology and enzyme specialist. Visit: https://caissonbiotech.com/.
Caisson Biotech is a subsidiary of Heparinex, LLC.
About Heparinex, LLC
Heparinex, LLC is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the novel recombinant synthesis of sugar-based compounds for markets including anticoagulation, inflammation, and cancer treatment. Dr. Paul DeAngelis originally discovered and patented Heparinex’s core technology platforms of proprietary carbohydrate production. Visit: https://heparinex.com/.
Heparinex and Caisson are funded and managed by Emergent Technologies, Inc. an innovation solutions and technology commercialization leader headquartered in Austin, Texas. Visit: http://www.emergenttechnologies.com/
Learn More: https://caissonbiotech.com/
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