Starpharma (ASX:SPL) and Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) have been awarded $300,000 in grant funding from the SIEF STEM+ Business Fellowship Program to engage two post-doctoral Research Fellows.
The funding, across two separate programs, will allow Starpharma and MIPS to further advance collaborative programs utilising the company's Targeted DEP platform.
The Targeted DEP platform uses DEP conjugates, which incorporate antibodies, to enhance drug concentration at the disease site and reduce off-target toxicity to improve therapeutic outcomes for cancer patients.
The application of this funding will build upon its Targeted DEP Herceptin conjugate results reported in an ovarian cancer model. Starpharma has also partnered with two world-leading antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) companies on additional Targeted DEP programs.
According to CEO, Dr Jackie Fairley, “We are delighted to collaborate once again with the internationally renowned researchers in drug delivery from Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. This collaboration will expand the activities around our novel Targeted DEP conjugates and is expected to generate exciting technical results and considerable commercial benefits by way of new intellectual property and commercialisation opportunities for Starpharma.”
“The SIEF STEM+ business fellowship program is a great opportunity to further our long standing and highly successful collaboration with Starpharma and to further develop next generation targeting approaches for the DEP® dendrimer drug delivery platform,” said MIPS Director, Professor Chris Porter.