ProtAffin Signs Manufacturing Contract for CMC Biologics' PA401

ProtAffin AG (Graz, Austria), a biotechnology company developing a class of biopharmaceutical products that act by targeting cell-surface glycan structures, has signed a manufacturing contract with CMC Biologics’ Danish operations (Copenhagen, Denmark), for manufacturing its lead product PA401 for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The contract will cover manufacture and supply of PA401 for preclinical development and early clinical development in COPD and related respiratory indications.

PA401 is a glycan-binding decoy protein based on human chemokine IL-8 (CXCL8), which has shown potent anti-inflammatory activity in both chronic and acute preclinical models of lung inflammation. A composition of matter patent covering PA401 was granted in the US and EU in 2009.

ProtAffin’s biopharmaceutical products are first-in-class engineered versions of human proteins that bind to cell surface glycans (sugars) to affect their biological activity. Specific cell surface glycans underlie inflammatory processes in several diseases including COPD, and represent a rich and relatively under-investigated class of potential drug targets for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. ProtAffin’s approach opens up glycans as treatable targets through the use of its CellJammer discovery technology.