Poolbeg Pharma (POLB ) said it has partnered with leading global biopharma services firm, Eurofins Genomics (‘Eurofins’), to complete RNA sequencing for Poolbeg of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) disease progression samples from human viral challenge studies.
The infectious disease pharmaceutical firm, a spin-out of London-listed Open Orphan, said the sequencing work is a “key step” which will enable it to start AI analysis of its RSV data.
This means Poolbeg will have full immunological datasets for RSV and influenza, which are ready to use with AI platforms to identify drug targets and products for indications of this kind.
The Company explained that it already has RNA sequencing data for influenza and that this data is ‘unique’ as it covers the full disease cycle and presents significant opportunities to unlock insights into these diseases which will magnify the power of the AI analysis.
The project with Eurofins is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 and will involve next generation RNA sequencing of RSV transcriptomics, or disease progression data, which enables the tracking of the biology of immune responses in molecular detail during infection.
Sequencing of the samples will be tailored for incorporation into AI algorithms which will be the first time that human challenge trial immune data has been analysed using AI.
Poolbeg intends to unlock ‘unique insights’ from the dataset that the Group will translate into additional pipeline products which will be progressed using its capital light clinical structure.
RSV is a contagious virus that affects the respiratory tract of children and at-risk older adults; in severe cases, it can cause pneumonia and other life-threatening breathing difficulties.
RSV is considered a significant public health threat and is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation to at-risk older adults. There is currently no vaccine on the market for RSV.
Jeremy Skillington, PhD, CEO of Poolbeg Pharma, commented: “This is an exciting step in our AI data analysis programme. The deep genetic analysis of RSV progression will be key information to feed into AI drug and target discovery tools. We already have similar data for influenza so we will now have complete discovery datasets for both influenza and RSV.
He added, “Our AI analysis will be breaking new ground in data-driven drug discovery as it will be the first time that human challenge trial immune data is used in this way. Having the sequencing specially tailored to work with AI platforms will enable us to discover potential new drug candidates for both diseases in a quicker and more cost-effective way.”
Last month, Poolbeg Pharma highlighted the progress of its ongoing US patent assessment work after the official reviewing its application to protect its main asset, POLB 001, had indicated that the majority of the claims, including the main claim, would be “allowable”.
The infectious disease market is expected to exceed $250 billion by 2025 and the current market for influenza is already around $800 million. As a result of this fast-growing market, Skillington said the protection of Poolbeg’s intellectual property is “very important.”
As stated in the Company’s AIM Admission Document upon its recent listing, Poolbeg’s intention is to “continue to aggressively file patent applications to protect Poolbeg’s assets.”
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On its first day of dealings in July, Poolbeg Pharma, a spin out of London-listed Open Orphan, announced that it has raised £25 million as part of its floatation on London’s AIM market.
Since its listing, the Company has informed its investors that it has earmarked some of the £25m proceeds to fund clinical trials for its advanced pipeline therapy for severe influenza.
Open Orphan explained to investors in July 2021 that Poolbeg’s IPO comes at a time when, post-pandemic, there has been an explosion in the growth of the infectious disease pharmaceuticals market, which is estimated to grow to in excess of $250 billion by 2025.
Upon its admission to AIM, Poolbeg stated that its main drug asset, POLB 00, will be ready for Phase II clinical trials ‘with modest investment where they can be monetised / licenced to big pharmaceutical companies.’ The London-based firm told investors that it aspires to become a “one-stop shop” for Big Pharma seeking mid-stage products to licence or acquire.
The Group’s portfolio also includes PredictViral™ Biomarker platform for early prediction of severe disease and the Vaccine Discovery Platform which uses human challenge model data.
Open Orphan’s Board has said it believes that the assets in Poolbeg would be ‘best developed separately from the core services business’ to maximise shareholder value.
In recent weeks, Jeremy Skillington, who was recently appointed as Chief Executive of Poolbeg, said in an interview that the firm plans to develop a “a conveyor belt of therapies”, and that the proceeds from the IPO could bring up to six assets to the saleable stage.
In a recent Q&A with Vox Markets, Chairman, Cathal Friel, and CEO of Poolbeg, Jeremy Skillington discuss the Company’s ready made assets focusing on unmet clinical needs including their lead asset in severe influenza and the large data set ready for analysis.
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