The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TLI, formerly LABioMed) has licensed a dry powder synthetic lung surfactant formulation to The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI), TLI said. Gates MRI plans to develop the inhalation powder for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). TLI, which is associated with UCLA, holds patents on the formulation in the United States, Canada and Europe.
Gates MRI Head, Translational Discovery, Jared Silverman said, “Current commercially available surfactants are effective but have limited use in LMICs owing to the cost and medically intensive delivery methods. This synthetic formulation of lung surfactant has the potential to be a key component in the way we to care for RDS patients born in low-resource settings around the world.”
The formulation’s developer, Frans Walther of TLI, explained, “Naturally-occurring lung surfactant is a lipid-protein mixture that prevents lung collapse through surface tension reduction. Lack of lung surfactant leads to respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants and can be treated with animal-derived surfactant administration into the windpipe. Our research demonstrated that inhalation of a dry powder synthetic lung surfactant formulation with an advanced surfactant protein analog can improve breathing and lung function in surfactant-deficient animals. This discovery suggests that the in-licensed candidate may be effective as an intervention for premature infants who are treated with noninvasive ventilation in low resource settings.”
TLI President and CEO David Meyer commented, “We are very pleased to have entered into this licensing agreement with the Gates Medical Research Institute. This agreement, and the opportunity to see this this significant technology developed to treat respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants for populations most in need, is what we strive for in our translational and innovative research environment here at the Lundquist.”
Read the Lundquist Institute press release.
