Noxopharm (ASX:NOX) has announced the development of a new product candidate based on mRNA technology as part of the company’s Sofra preclinical platform.
The company said a lead candidate has been selected for further development. Under the ongoing collaboration with the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, a novel ‘vaccine enhancer’ called SOF-VAC has been synthesised.
This preclinical technology aims to make a broad range of mRNA vaccines safer by reducing inflammation associated with their administration. The technology also has the potential to support more cost-effective mRNA vaccine manufacturing.
Noxopharm and its Pharmorage subsidiary have been developing the SOF-VAC mRNA technology under the company’s strategic partnership with the Hudson Institute, which was formally established in November 2021.
The research was recently supported by the Victorian Government, which provided $1.45 million to the Hudson Institute in June 2022 to fund the joint development of novel anti-inflammatory compounds with Pharmorage.
Noxopharm CEO Dr Gisela Mautner said, “mRNA technologies represent one of today’s most exciting and rapidly developing areas of medicine. They are expected to play an even greater role in the years ahead as they become applicable to numerous diseases and we believe SOF-VAC could contribute significantly in this field.
“Our collaboration with the Hudson Institute team is delivering promising results in the lab, and we aim to build on those and generate interest in our assets. To that end, we will dedicate appropriate resources to this initiative, releasing more data in the future as we further strengthen our IP position, while at the same time keeping on track with our oncology-related research activities.”
Hudson Institute Associate Professor Michael Gantier added, “I have been active in this field of research for over 20 years, and am very excited about mRNA technologies like SOF-VAC as we start to see their potential emerge. Today’s levels of industrial activity related to mRNA therapeutics and mRNA vaccines in particular are a testament to the maturity these technologies have reached. But there is still a lot more to discover and develop as we move forward to create new kinds of treatments based on these technologies.”