Motif Bio, Lamellar Agree to Test New Therapeutic Combo for CF Lung Infections

Motif Bio has entered an agreement with Lamellar Biomedical to undertake a preclinical study that will test a new therapeutic combination for treating lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Under the terms of the agreement, Motif Bio will launch a preclinical study to assess the effectiveness of the company’s investigational broad spectrum antibiotic iclaprim in combination with Lamellar’s LMS-611, a mucokinetic (mucus clearing) therapeutic candidate that is part of the company’s patented LAMELLASOME technology.

LAMELLASOME is a proprietary delivery platform that allows the transport and delivery of small DNA or RNA molecules placed inside artificial vesicles made up of lipids (fat molecules that also are the main component of cell membranes).

In September 2017, iclaprim received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus in CF patients.

LMS-611, which has been shown to enhance the activity of certain antibiotics, in June 2011 also received orphan drug designation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for treating CF.

Orphan drug status is given to investigative treatments that aim to help people with a life-threatening or chronically debilitating rare disease, which means disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. according to FDA criteria, or less than five in 10,000 following EMA guidelines.

“We have been looking for a way to optimize the development of iclaprim in patients with CF. We are excited about the preliminary data we have seen with Lamellar’s technology, and look forward to evaluating it in combination with iclaprim,” Graham Lumsden, PhD, chief executive officer of Motif Bio, said in a press release.

By joining efforts, Motif Bio and Lamellar believe they will be able to generate promising preclinical data that may be the first step toward developing a new combination therapy of iclaprim and LMS-611 for treating lung infections in CF patients.

“CF is a key area of interest for Lamellar. We are delighted to announce this partnership with Motif Bio, which will evaluate the antibiotic potentiation properties of our LAMELLASOME technology in combination with iclaprim. This collaboration augments our own work in this orphan indication, which is focused on a novel nucleic acid-based therapeutic, as we strive to develop a range of highly effective treatment options for patients with CF,” said Alex McLean, PhD, CEO of Lamellar Biomedical.