University of St Andrews spin out Pneumagen said that it has raised £2.5 million for clinical development of its Neumifil intranasal carbohydrate binding module (mCBM) for the prevention and treatment of respiratory viruses, including flu, RSV, and COVID-19. The company says that it previously raised £4 million investment for development of Neumifil, which is currently its only candidate.
According to Pneumagen’s web site, “Pneumagen has demonstrated that its engineered mCBM40s bind with high affinity to sialic acid. These engineered mCBM40s have been shown to prevent and treat viral RTIs by masking epithelial cell surface sialic acid receptors present in the respiratory tract, used by several pathogens for entry and infection.”
Pneumagen CEO Douglas Thomson commented, “Our mission is to develop our novel pan viral approach to combat infectious respiratory diseases such as influenza, RSV, COVID-19, and other emerging viruses with pandemic potential. I am delighted with this additional investment and the endorsement that the participation of our new corporate investor brings. This investment will enable us to progress Neumifil into the clinic in mid 2021, as a universal intra-nasal treatment for infectious diseases.”
Read the Pneumagen press release.
