Pure Biologics has filed an application for a further extension of patent protection for the PureApta™ platform.
The developed solution is an extension and supplement to the European and US patented method of synthesis and purification of modified oligonucleotides (patents EP3350195 and US10450673). Thanks to the solutions developed as part of the PureApta™ platform, it is possible to obtain even higher stability of the developed aptamers.
Aptamers with better parameters are an attractive product for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. This applies to both the own research and development projects as well as projects carried out by Pure Biologics for external clients. Subsequent improvements to the platform thus open the way to the use of aptamers in a much wider range, also as stable and long-acting drugs.
The PureApta™ platform, the Pure Biologics’ key tool, allows to successfully obtain new generation aptamers, made of chemically modified DNA, which become active molecules in drugs and medical devices that are under development.
Patent protection of the platform itself, its components, and the aptamers created with its use, allows Pure Biologics to better manage the generated intellectual property, which can be commercialized in the form of products, services or licenses, and the new application strengthens the existing IP portfolio and complies with the development strategy of the own aptamer projects.
The PureApta™ platform developed by Pure Biologics is used to select chemically modified aptamers, i.e. oligonucleotides that recognize selected molecular targets – macromolecules in a living organism. The selected aptamers may therefore constitute functional elements of innovative drugs and medical devices, as well as serve as a research and diagnostic tool in laboratory work in cell biology or oncology.
In therapeutic applications of aptamers, apart from their high specificity and strength of interaction with a molecular target, one of the key parameters they must meet is the highest possible stability in physiological fluids, such as blood or saliva. The new nucleotide modifications, described in the patent claim, significantly increase the resistance of the selected aptamers to enzymatic degradation, and therefore improve their stability and extend the duration of action in the body – explains Dr. Agnieszka Sok-Grochowska, Research Group Leader of Aptamers Group in Pure Biologics
We are the only entity on the Polish market and one of the few in Europe that has its own aptamer selection platform. Even fewer companies have the know-how necessary to develop chemically modified aptamers, and science confirms that such modifications increase the effectiveness and usefulness of aptamers. New patent applications prove that we are constantly refining our technology, which increases its value – says Dr. Filip Jeleń, President of the Board of Pure Biologics.
Over the past months, Pure Biologics has signed three contracts for the development of projects based on the PureApta ™ platform.
In November 2021, Pure Biologics granted a license for the research use of the PureApta™ platform to the French company Novaptech, developing aptamers for environmental applications. The project implemented by Novaptech may lead to further cooperation aimed at commercialization of the developed solutions.
In February 2022, the Company concluded an agreement with an undisclosed client, under which it successfully selected an aptamer to be used in a therapeutic solution with antiviral potential. In addition to the received one-time payment, the contract guarantees Pure Biologics a share in the profits from commercialization of the solution.
In June 2022 Pure Biologics signed a partnering agreement for the development of aptamer-based therapeutic solutions with the Dutch company Relitech. The contract sets the development of an innovative aptamer filter. Relitech, based on many years of experience in similar areas, began developing a medical device using the Pure Biologics aptamer filter. The medical device is designed to eliminate uremic toxins from body fluids, which appear in conditions such as advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).
The company is looking for more large partners with whom it could implement projects on attractive business terms.
The PureApta™ platform and our expertise in the aptamer field are captivating the market. We have already established three partnerships since the middle of last year, each of them based on a different business model. We are conducting various talks and we hope to sign new, more and more attractive contracts – says Dr. Filip Jeleń.