Poolbeg Pharma acquires RNA-based immunotherapy candidate from University of Warwick

Pharmaceutical company Poolbeg Pharma has in-licensed a first first-in-class RNA-based immunotherapy for respiratory virus infections developed at the University of Warwick.

The company has secured an exclusive license to a dual antiviral prophylactic and therapeutic candidate, which is currently at a late-pre-clinical development stage. The immunotherapy candidate is able to target pan-respiratory virus infections, which could include influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS-CoV-2 and others, according to In vivo data.

The candidate was developed at the University of Warwick follow 20 years of research from virologists professor Andrew Easton and professor Nigel Dimmock.

The therapy, which will be marketed as POLB 002, is administered intra-nasally and works by triggering nasal cells into an antiviral state to protect from the infecting virus. It also blocks the cells from making more virus by preventing its replication. It’s hoped that both modes of action can help reduce infectious viral loads and improve disease symptoms.

More so, due it to being administered nasally, it could prove helpful in protecting at-risk patient populations such as the elderly, COPD patients and asthmatics.

Jeremy Skillington, CEO of Poolbeg Pharma, said: “This dual action immunotherapy developed by the team at University of Warwick is a really exciting technology in the field of respiratory virus disease treatments. The data shows it to rapidly reduce viral load and also prevent the likelihood of virus resistance.

“It will be an excellent addition to our growing pipeline of assets and we plan to move rapidly towards human proof-of-concept studies using our capital light clinical model. We look forward to updating the market as POLB 002 progresses through the clinic with the ultimate aim of partnering it with Big Pharma.”

Professor Andrew Easton, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick, said: “Currently most respiratory virus infections cannot be treated despite being responsible for millions of deaths each year. This is a very exciting new approach with great potential. We are delighted to be developing it alongside the Poolbeg Pharma team, with their extensive knowledge and experience in the sector.”