VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qu Biologics Inc. (Qu), a biopharmaceutical company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs), a unique platform of microbial-based immunotherapies designed to restore the body’s innate immune system, has published for the first time the basis of their first-in class therapy. The series of studies, published this week in Scientific Reports, show that SSIs activate and mobilize cells of the innate immune system to enhance and reinforce immune and barrier function of target organs to treat or prevent disease. Scientists from Canada, the US and the Netherlands contributed to this pivotal work.
The innate immune system is the first line of defense against both infectious and non-infectious threats, and it is the critical part of the immune system responsible for providing protection against new infectious agents when adaptive immune memory is lacking. The scientists at Qu Biologics and their international collaborators have demonstrated that cells of the innate immune system can be trained to be on alert and recruited to specific organs that either have disease present or are under imminent threat of disease. This primed army of innate immune cells is not only more efficient at tackling new pathogens but is also very well-equipped in clearing cancer cells and improving barrier function in the targeted organ.
“The concept of trained innate immunity has only relatively recently come to be appreciated, and its full clinical potential has yet to be tapped,” stated Dr. Shirin Kalyan, an author of the study and Qu’s Director of Scientific Innovation. “This collective work shows that we can both harness and direct the potent effector functions of innate immunity to help overcome a potentially broad range of important diseases associated with immune dysfunction. This could be a game changer.”
Physician and Qu’s CEO, Dr. Hal Gunn, noted, “At this time when the world is grappling with the pandemic of a serious respiratory virus, this work demonstrating that SSI treatment can functionally enhance immune competency in specific organ sites to reduce morbidity against different infectious agents is of immense relevance. We believe the application of SSIs is particularly ideal for new emerging infectious threats, such as COVID-19, where there is no adaptive memory present. Our clinical experience with SSI treatment to date shows a very good safety profile, and we are motivated to help address this urgent need for high risk groups, such as healthcare workers on the frontlines and those with reduced immune function. We are currently looking for partnerships and collaborations to support this important work in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis.”
Qu’s SSI’s have been used clinically for the treatment of lung cancer, ulcerative colitis and two Phase 2 trials for Crohn’s disease, one of which is underway and has completed enrolment for its first stage. Proof-of-concept studies have also been completed for the treatment of COPD and asthma using Qu’s lung-targeting SSI.
For more information about Qu Biologics and the science behind SSIs, please visit www.qubiologics.com.
About Qu Biologics
Qu Biologics is a Vancouver-based private clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSI), a novel class of immunotherapies. SSIs are designed to stimulate an innate immune response in targeted organs or tissues to reverse the chronic inflammation underlying many conditions including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory lung disease and arthritis. SSIs are a broad platform technology being tested in multiple disease indications, including Health Canada approved clinical trials in lung cancer, Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis.
Backed by a prestigious group of scientific advisors and board members, Qu Biologics is led by a management team that includes co-founder and CEO Dr. Hal Gunn, a physician and expert on the body’s immune response to chronic disease; and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, former CEO of the BC Cancer Agency and a distinguished clinician, scientist and leader in cancer control in Canada and internationally.
For more information regarding this press release, contact:
Hal Gunn, MD
CEO Qu Biologics Inc.
Phone: (1) 604.734.1450
Email: media@qubiologics.com
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