$QBIO Mannin Technology Collaboration – COVID-19
Post# of 102241
In March 2021, our technology partner Mannin Research Inc. (Mannin) was granted an additional CAD$1.7 million from the Canadian governments COVID response budget, adding to the approximate $7.7 million granted in Europe, which together will fund 65-75 percent of every dollar incurred to advance the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome therapy for COVID patients as well as a portfolio of therapeutic assets for vascular diseases currently in development at Mannin, including: glaucoma, cardiovascular diseases, acute kidney disease, and other infectious diseases.
The MAN-19 therapeutic is a recombinant fusion protein that treats the patient, instead of targeting the virus. It is not a cure for COVID-19, but it strengthens a patient's blood vessels and protects them against ARDS, breathing problems, sepsis and other infections that may cause the body's organs to begin shutting down. It is designed to keep COVID-19 patients out of the ICU and off a ventilator. Initial manufacturing and preclinical testing has shown promise, and pending upcoming toxicology testing, the drug is poised for clinical trials to start in 2022. If the drug proves both safe and effective, our goal is to have it available for use by patients by early 2023.
We, along with Mannin, are very encouraged by our progress and the results of the preclinical work to date. Our next steps are to complete the final toxicology studies, data aggregation and achieve approval of a Phase 1 clinical trial. With proof-of-concept complete and clinical trials planned in 2022, we believe there is a significant return on investment in the near term and major milestones to be achieved. The market for this kind of treatment in the current pandemic climate is substantial and global. COVID-19 is not going away any time soon. As a result, there is a need to develop more effective treatments. We believe that this technology will play a role in the broader treatment landscape and not only for COVID-19, but also for other infectious diseases that cause ARDS.
We believe that licensing and milestone revenue opportunities for this and related indications in kidney and ophthalmological diseases are possible in the next few months. Conservative estimates based on milestones could reach $200M over the next 24 months.
A successful infectious disease application in COVID-19 would position MAN-19 as a potential government stockpile drug for possible future pandemics. Furthermore, a successful proof-of-concept clinical trial with MAN-19 in COVID-19 patients would provide the clinical dataset to support the development of therapeutics for other vascular diseases such as sepsis, acute kidney injury and glaucoma. All of these are large markets with significant potential.
GDF 15 Diagnostic for Glaucoma - In Clinical Trial and Product Development and FDA approval anticipated early 2022
In early 2019, we licensed a diagnostic biomarker known as GDF-15 for determining the severity of glaucoma from Washington University in St. Louis. GDF-15 is a perfect companion diagnostic for the MAN-01 and MAN-11 drugs, as well as a novel tool for practicing ophthalmologists and drug developers, because it is designed to assess the efficacy of the treatment or disease progression in their practice. This product represents a unique opportunity, and we believe that current clinical trials are yielding promising results. In partnership with Mannin Research Inc. and McMaster University, we are nearing the completion of development of an in-vitro-diagnostic (IVD) with both point-of-care (detection in a doctor's office) as well as an external laboratory-based detection (i.e. for use in existing CLIA laboratories using existing diagnostic equipment). With appropriate funding, we anticipate completion of the IVD device and submission to the FDA (510K) for in vitro diagnostic approval in 2022.
https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/...der-update