Partnership explores using HDL as a tool for delivering drugs
By Jan Jarvis
UNT Health Science Center has joined with the international biopharmaceutical company Cerenis Therapeutics to develop HDL-based drug delivery systems for treating cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
The joint strategic partnership called the “HDL Drug Delivery Initiative” will leverage the expertise of the research team led by Andras Lacko, PhD, Professor of Physiology and Anatomy at UNT Health Science Center, with the France-based company Cerenis Therapeutics.
The “HDL Drug Delivery Initiative” will focus on developing new strategies to address difficult-to treat-patients by creating a unique HDL platform technology for drug delivery.
“Our collaboration will focus on the development of new drug delivery systems based on HDL in order to deliver pharmaceutically active ingredients to specifically targeted cells,” Dr. Lacko said. “Cerenis is well positioned to move forward into immune-oncology and chemotherapeutic drug delivery to become a leading targeted HDL drug delivery company.”
Cerenis is delighted to work with Dr. Lacko and UNT Health Science Center, said Jean-Louis Dasseux, CEO of Cerenis Therapeutics.
“This partnership will focus on innovative solutions for the HDL drug delivery market,” he said. “It is an important step forward for our technology development program and our nanotechnology platform as we look forward to building a strong integrated relationship beneficial for both parties.”
Dr. Lacko’s research has long focused on the use of nanoparticles to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors while avoiding damage to healthy cells to spare patients the harmful side effects of chemotherapy.
HDL particles, loaded with an active agent, hold the promise to target and selectively kill malignant cells while sparing healthy ones. A wide variety of drugs can be embedded in these particles targeting markers specific to cancer cells and bring these potent drugs to their intended site of action, with lowered systemic toxicity.
As part of the agreement, Dr. Lacko’s research group will conduct early preclinical research activities related to the development of new drug complexes based on HDL platforms. This work will include developing further understanding of the properties relevant to creating an HDL-based carrier and developing new strategies to trap biologically active molecules within HDL.
The strategic partnership with Dr. Lacko represents another marker of Cerenis’ evolution into a company with novel HDL platforms for drug delivery. Cerenis will lead the advanced preclinical research activities, related to development of new HDL based drug complexes. Cerenis will be responsible for future clinical developments as well.
CERENIS Therapeutics is an international biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative lipid metabolism therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic diseases, and HDL targeted drug delivery platform technologies.
HDL is the primary mediator of the reverse lipid transport, or RLT, the only natural pathway by which excess lipids are removed from arteries and transported to the liver for elimination from the body.
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