In this report, we surface the most promising early-stage research and assets from academic groups and biotech companies worldwide.
The trends and breakthroughs featuring in the report come from analyzing the engagement of R&D, S&E, and innovation teams using our online partnering platform to identify new partners and opportunities for their pipelines.
Respiratory diseases affect the airways and lungs and can be either infectious or chronic. Despite decades of medical advances, respiratory disease remains at relatively high incidence rates and are one of the world's leading causes of mortality.
The deployment of pharmaceutical interventions and the mitigation of risk factors such as smoking and severe air pollution have meant that since the '90s, the mortality rate for chronic respiratory diseases has decreased by approximately 41.7%, and by 48.5% for lower respiratory infections.
Fibrosis is a pathological feature of many chronic inflammatory respiratory diseases. Nearly 45% of all deaths in the 'developed' world are attributed to some type of chronic fibroproliferative disease. Interstitial lung disease is a group of lung diseases characterized by chronic, progressive fibrosis associated with high mortality. Current treatments are unable to stop disease progression nor restore lost lung function. As such, there is a significant unmet need for the development of more effective treatments for fibrosis of the lungs.
Existing antifibrotic medications have shown promise, and ongoing research focuses on emerging therapies such as stem cell therapy, immunomodulatory agents, and novel pharmacological targets like phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) inhibitors.
For decades, acute lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and pulmonary tuberculosis have been among the top causes of mortality globally. The health impact caused by emerging respiratory pathogens, such as in the COVID-19 pandemic, is a high priority to protect against in the future.
Planning to prevent infection from new emerging diseases, researchers are working on vaccines that induce a strong immune response in mucus membranes, which are considered among the strongest defenses to prevent infection, re-infection, and limit transmission of respiratory pathogens like SARS-CoV2.
Review a sample of the six highest performing respiratory disease projects and assets hosted on our online partnering platform. Download the report to profile the top 5 breakthrough biotech assets and top 19 early-stage academic projects.
To read the full overview of each project in this article and the report, and to engage with the teams behind them, you will need to create an account to enter the platform.
To prevent infection byemerging infectious diseases, vaccines that induce a strong immune response in mucus membranes are considered among the strongest approaches to prevent infection and the limit transmission of respiratory pathogens, such as SARS-CoV2. As of today, there is no licensed mucosal (inhaled or oral) vaccine against COVID-19, despite it being predominantly a respiratory disease. Moreover, standard intramuscular vaccines seem to be unable to induce mucosal immunity.
To overcome these limitations, researchers at St George's, University of London have developed a novel protein-only based vaccine that is delivered via a respiratory route and generates robust mucosal immunity. A unique polypeptide fusion allows optimal access to the immune system to stimulate a strong immune response. The team at St George's is looking for an industrial partner to support the scale-up of production and to bring the technology to the market.
Oxygen is an essential medicine used in the care of patients across all levels of healthcare systems, and so medical oxygen is often in high demand. The global market is primarily driven by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which tends to impact older people. And as the global population demographic increases in age, COPD diagnoses are expected to increase. Current methods of delivering medical oxygen to patients involve cumbersome metal cylinders containing compressed oxygen, dewars of liquid oxygen delivering bulk oxygen, or portable PSA oxygen concentrators, which are loud and rely on the also aging pressure swing adsorption (PSA) method.
A new technology being developed by researchers at Portland State University is based on a new method of separating oxygen from the air or other gaseous mixtures, offering, in comparison to PSA oxygen concentrators, higher oxygen purity, higher oxygen flow rate, quieter operation, and no need for pressurization. A patent has been submitted by the university, and the team are seeking a range of partnering options.
Fibrosis is a pathological feature of many chronic inflammatory diseases affecting vital organs such as the lungs, heart, and liver. Regardless of the type of fibrotic disease, the fibrosis is produced by myofibroblastic cells, which are often activated by a mechanism known asphosphorylation. Currently, there are no effective treatments for fibrotic-inflammatory diseases such as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), and others caused through this mechanism.
Researchers at the San Diego biotech company, Xfibra, are developing a therapeutic shown to inhibit and regress fibrosis and re-establish a normal immune landscape by being a direct anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory. This patented therapeutic, called XFB19, is a first-in-class interference tetrapeptide that specifically inhibits phosphorylation. Xfibra has preclinical data that demonstrates the decrease in the morbidity of these degenerative and lethal diseases, and they are looking for a development partner or investor to take this therapeutic forward.
Using artificial intelligence to find previously undetected relationships between drugs and disease areas holds a lot of promise for uncovering new treatment avenues, more effective therapies and better health outcomes through data-driven insight and discovery.
Researchers at a biotech company in Vienna, Delta4, have developed a drug discovery platform they call Hyper-C. Their platform, validated by big pharma clients, contains a conglomerate of highly specific algorithms supported by AI which finds so far undetected relationships between drugs and disease areas, bringing valuable insights into the possible mode of action for targeted novel indications for respiratory diseases. Delta4 are seeking investment, licensing, commercialization, and development partners to advance their technology.
Paediatric tracheostomiesare a life-saving procedure for children with severe respiratory compromise or upper-airway obstruction, but currently the average complication rate for children following a tracheostomy is 40%.
Aiming to increase the rate of successful outcomes from paediatric tracheostomies, scientists at the Children's National Hospital (CNH) in the United States have developed a medical device they call Trach Sense; a wireless, compact accessory attachment for tracheostomy tubes. Their device identifies changes in CO2 respiration patterns, signalling emergencies within 20 seconds. The technology addresses a critical need in paediatric healthcare, with great potential to avoid complications with tracheostomy procedures, improving health outcomes and reducing hospital readmissions. CNH is actively seeking collaboration, partnerships, and licensing opportunities to further develop and commercialize the technology.
Interstitial lung disease is a heterogeneous group of lung diseases characterized by chronic, progressive fibrosis associated with inexorable decline in lung function, progressive respiratory failure, and high mortality. There are currently three approved drugs that have been shown to slow the progression of interstitial lung diseases, though they're unable to completely stop disease progression nor restore lost lung function. As such, there is a significant unmet need for the development of more effective treatments.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a first-in-class small molecule therapeutic agent, which specifically targets the plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), which at elevated, pathological levels proliferate fibrotic disease. Pre-clinical data suggests this clinical candidate may have the potential to halt disease progression. The institute is seeking investors and commercial development partners.
We connect academic institutes, researchers, companies and investors in a first-of-its-kind online network, unlocking the transformative power of science through partnering.