Synspira Receives $3 Million from CF Foundation to Continue Development of SNSP113
Synspira received an award of up to $3 million from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to advance the clinical development of its lead candidate, SNSP113, for the treatment of pulmonary complications in cystic fibrosis (CF).
Synspira is a company developing a new class of inhaled glycopolymer-based therapeutics for the treatment of various pulmonary diseases. SNSP113 is one of those novel glycopolymers.
Bacteria tend to colonize and form treatment-resistant layers, or biofilms, in the inflamed and mucus-obstructed airways of CF patients. This can be particularly problematic, since biofilms enhance bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.
As a modified polysaccharide molecule, SNSP113 interacts with structural polymers in protective bacterial biofilms and breaks them apart, weakening bacteria in the process and boosting the efficacy of antibiotics. In addition, the drug also reduces inflammation and diminishes mucus viscosity, promoting clearance of the lungs.
“This award will support the clinical development of SNSP113, which successfully completed a Phase 1a first-in-human trial to assess the safety and tolerability of single ascending doses in healthy individuals and will advance into stable CF patients in 2018,” Shenda Baker, PhD, chief executive officer of Synspira, said in a press release.
“We have been working closely with the CF Foundation and are honored by their support and encouragement as we continue to develop therapies that are designed to improve quality of life for CF patients.” Baker added.
Synspira is currently recruiting patients for the United Kingdom-based Phase 1a clinical trial (NCT03309358) designed to evaluate in vivo capabilities of SNSP113 and its safety in healthy volunteers and patients with stable CF. The trial is being conducted at sites in London and Belfast. For additional information, visit the trial’s Contacts and Locations page.
In other related news, results from two preclinical studies demonstrating the ability of SNSP113 to prevent bacteria from forming biofilms were presented at the 31st Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC), held in November 2017.
The presentation highlighted SNSP113’s therapeutic potential to significantly reduce mucus viscosity and improve lung clearance in patients with CF, as well as in patients with other respiratory conditions. The drug also reduces the thickness of bacterial biofilm and prevents biofilm growth.
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