Clinical-stage biotech company Noxopharm (ASX:NOX) has announced initial results from a US company testing assets from the Sofra technology platform.
Noxopharm said New York-based Tezcat Biosciences is a specialist cancer-focused company that is developing a unique delivery system that transports drugs to specific diseased cells within the body, including immune cells and cancer cells.
Tezcat is currently assessing how to transport novel drugs such as Noxopharm’s Sofra assets.
"The goal is to target immune cells and explore how this approach could be used in the battle against cancer as well as chronic inflammatory diseases," said Noxopharm.
Noxopharm signed a Material Transfer Agreement with Tezcat in late 2024, and since then, the American company has been evaluating the payload potential of Sofra oligonucleotides.
Noxopharm said Tezcat conducted a series of preclinical in vitro studies that resulted in promising outcomes, principally by demonstrating that its oligos can be successfully attached to Tezcat’s delivery system to create a novel drug candidate with strong anti-inflammatory activity.
Tezcat CEO Dr Craig Ramirez said, “We have been very impressed by the performance of Noxopharm’s technology in our delivery system, and the results allow us to look further into what these oligos can do in both inflammatory diseases and cancer. We are eager to progress to the next phase and will be working closely with Noxopharm to scale up our efforts.”
Noxopharm CEO Dr Gisela Mautner added, “We are very pleased to be working with Tezcat, who are operating in an area of cancer research that has significant market potential. Their targeted delivery technology represents a unique opportunity to demonstrate systemic delivery of our Sofra oligos, which could represent a valuable payload for Tezcat. This project also broadens our range of potential disease indications, including in the cancer space.
“They are committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation through developing new ideas for tackling cancer and inflammatory chronic conditions, and have conducted these studies at a rapid pace that gives us great confidence as we expand on our work together.”