Animated mode of action
As a carbohydrate-binding antibody approaches the cell surface it attaches to free monovalent sugars. Due to the low affinity or attraction of monovalent interactions the free carbohydrate ligands do not successfully bind the antibody and cannot prevent it from binding to the cell surface.
The mucin-type inhibitor of Recopharma, on the other hand, can bind to several of the arms of the antibody. The higher affinity thus obtained assures that the antibody stays bound.In the process, the mucin also sterically hinders the antibody from reaching the cell surface.
Likewise, a virus or a bacterium approach-ing the cell surface is prevented from binding to the cell surface. In addition, the relatively large and multivalent mucin is able to aggregate in-coming bacteria to further shield them from the cell surface.
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IPR Technology platform
Recopharma’s core competence in the field of carbohydrate-based therapeutics is focused on three major pharmaceutical sectors – each in a different stage of development. These areas are: i) vaccine adjuvants, ii) vaccines to treat can-cer and iii) anti-microbials that prevent microbial attachment to host cells.
Applied properly, our expertise in these areas will enable us to solve many of the problems associated with the use of carbohydrates as therapeutics. This, in turn, will open a wide range of business opportunities. For example, as shown in the diagram, our propriety technology not only allows biosynthetic construction of the desired carbohydrate structure in a multivalent fashion, but also makes it feasible to modify any desired carrier protein with that particular structure (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. The Recopharma solution relies on the production of recombinant mucin-type immunoglobulin chimeras carrying the desired carbohydrate determinant in a multivalent fashion (illustration to the right) as opposed to free saccharides (illustration to the left).
These three areas of Recopharma’s patent applications utilize the potential of recombinant mucins to provide better and more effective delivery of active compounds:
1. Vaccine adjuvant. Mucins carrying a-Gal will enhance the immune response through amplified antigen presentation. It is expected that less immunogen and fewer doses of a particular vaccine can be used if combined with the Recopharma adjuvant. This could give the customer, e.g. a large pharmaceutical or biotech company, a novel vaccine formulation that can be patented. It would also provide a more efficient product with fewer side effects. There are numerous potential customers who are interested in out-licensing such a formulation.
2. Cancer vaccine. Mucins carrying tumor-associated carbohydrate epitopes in a multivalent fashion for cancer treatment. To be out-licensed to a large partner in this field.
3. Anti-microbial adhesion. Mucins preventing microbial attachment to host cells, with the first target microbe being Helicobacter pylori. This bacterium causes stomach and duodenal ulcers and is classified as a carcinogen. Recopharma’s solution is a prophylactic that binds H. pylori with no systemic side effects.