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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 17, 2023) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immune-oncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce that systemic administration of novel AccuTOXTM-chitosan encapsulated formulation inhibits the growth of pre-established solid lymphoma resulting in their progressive shrinking over time.
The conducted study had two main objectives: i) to test whether AccuTOXTM can be delivered systemically if encapsulated in chitosan-based nanoparticles, and ii) to assess whether this modality can synergize with immune-checkpoint blockers commonly used in the oncology clinic. The formulation was delivered twice with a 2 weeks interval and treated animals were followed for up to 40 days. The tumors in animals treated with AccuTOXTM-Chitosan injections along with anti-PD-1 co-administration regressed and exhibited a prolonged survival rate.
"The AccuTOXTM molecule can be toxic if delivered unconjugated and/or systemically. The Defence team was able to bypass this limitation by encapsulating it into chitosan-based nanoparticles. This is a simpler and cheaper method compared to the use of antibodies, and may represent a key component of Defence's future encapsulation strategies," says Mr. Plouffe, CEO of Defence Therapeutics.
Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide composed of randomly distributed β-(1→4)-linked D-glucosamine (deacetylated unit) and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (acetylated unit), and has a number of commercial and biomedical uses. In addition to its agricultural and industrial applications, chitosan is often useful in bandages to reduce bleeding and as an antibacterial agent. It can also be used to help deliver drugs through the skin. Therefore, exploiting it as a delivery vehicle for unconjugated Accum® or its variants could revolutionize the future of molecular medicine by increasing the compounds specificity to tumor site while minimizing the needed dosage and thus, associated side effects.
About Defence:
Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM® technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.