A chance of controlling coronavirus

NEW YORK—Q BioMed Inc. reported today that its research partner, Mannin Research Inc., is planning to develop new therapeutics to treat a variety of vascular diseases, including the new 2019-nCoV coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China. Coronavirus has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, and this strain of coronavirus has a rapidly rising number of confirmed cases and deaths.

 

“We are working closely with our technology research partner Mannin to develop a potential adjunct treatment for various infectious diseases like the coronavirus. These types of outbreaks are not uncommon. H1N1, SARS, Ebola, pneumonia, influenza and others all can cause vascular leakage and respiratory distress in patients, which can be fatal in the most severe cases,” said Denis Corin, Q BioMed’s chief executive officer.

 

Mannin plans to develop a unique set of therapeutics that target a variety of vascular diseases. The company’s lead research platform targets the activation of the Angiopoietin-Tie2 signaling pathway. Mannin is not generating a vaccine against infectious diseases, but is developing a new class of therapeutics that reportedly may increase the survival rate of patients by reducing endothelial dysfunction and severity of infectious and other diseases through enhancement of host-directed therapeutic response.

 

“Mannin’s research team and collaborations in Canada, Germany and the United States are working to develop novel drugs to treat vascular leakage and endothelial dysfunction, which is common in severe cases of influenza, as well as in the current coronavirus outbreak,” added Dr. George N. Nikopoulos, president and chief executive officer of Mannin. “Seeing the potential to make positive impact upon patients’ lives drives our team to strive further each day.”

 

In September 2019 the German state of Saxony awarded Mannin an approximately US $7.7 million grant to advance its novel therapeutics, including drugs and biologics that reduce endothelial dysfunction and loss of endothelial barrier integrity, which are central to the pathophysiology of viral and bacterial infections resulting in acute and severe lung injury. Mannin also recently submitted a funding application to the small business technology transfer grant administered by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to investigate specific applications of Mannin's therapeutic platform.

 

This isn’t the only recent Angiopoietin-Tie2 news out of Mannin. Back in November, Mannin presented positive data on a potential new treatment for acute kidney injury (AKI) at the American Society for Nephrology 2019 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. 

 

Mannin’s chief scientific officer, Dr. Susan Quaggin, presented data that showed that the Angiopoietin-Tie2 signaling pathway is a promising therapeutic target to prevent AKI after ischemia caused by ischemia–reperfusion injury to the kidney. Ischemia in the kidney occurs in a range of clinically important scenarios such as hypotension, sepsis and cardiovascular events like strokes.

 

There is a significant opportunity to advance a therapeutic solution to treat AK and address a patient population that contributes to 20% of all hospitalizations in the U.S. Current treatments for AKI are mainly supportive, and don’t treat the underlying condition.

 

“We are very encouraged by this data,” Nikopoulos noted in a press release. “Taken together with our recently announced funding and establishment of a research center in Saxony, Germany, this data will enable us to advance our program in developing therapeutics to treat acute kidney injury, bolstering our pipeline. We look forward to the day when we can make a difference in the lives of patients with kidney and cardiovascular diseases.”