PolyTherics extends application of PolyPEG to more companies
Extension of collaboration will investigate further applications of patented polymer
PolyTherics, a provider of solutions to enable the development of better biopharmaceuticals, has extended its collaboration with a top five pharmaceutical company to further investigate applications of PolyTherics’ polymer, PolyPEG.
PolyPEG is a patented polymer designed to extend the half-life in the body of therapeutic proteins to which it is conjugated. It consists of poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG) ‘teeth’ along a polymer backbone to create a comb-shaped format. The format of PolyPEG provides a conjugated protein with a lower viscosity than would generally be possible with an equivalent sized linear PEG. This is particularly useful when a protein has to be administered at high concentration and can enable the use of standard gauge needles for injection.
This capability has attracted the interest of several major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies looking to develop enhanced and differentiated biopharma products
Under the terms of the collaboration, the properties of several different proteins will be evaluated following conjugation to a range of PolyPEG polymers of different molecular architectures. The evaluations will include in vitro binding and activity assays with proteins targeted to a number of disease areas. Selected PolyPEG protein conjugates will also be evaluated in imaging and pharmacokinetic studies.
John Burt, ceo of PolyTherics, said: ‘The addition of PolyPEG, through the acquisition of Warwick Effect Polymers earlier this year, has significantly strengthened and broadened our suite of novel technologies and our offering for producing better biopharmaceuticals. This capability has attracted the interest of several major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies looking to develop enhanced and differentiated biopharmaceutical products. We are therefore delighted to extend this current collaboration with a top five pharmaceutical company to evaluate the applicability of our technologies across a wide range of proteins.’
PolyTherics is a privately owned UK-based company, backed by institutional investors.
