Ocean Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCEA) is a biopharma company that works with research universities and medical centers for developing and commercializing their discoveries. The Rhode Island-based company on Thursday said its scientific co-founder Dr. Jack Elias received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for his US patent application covering a therapeutic molecule the company is working to advance into the clinic for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.
“This company was founded by physician-researchers to find solutions for large, unmet medical needs and we are pleased with the possibility of extending the anti-fibrosis platform into a broad range of hard-to-treat conditions,” said Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, Ocean’s co-founder and executive chairman.
Covers Multiple Conditions
The patent allowance covers pulmonary fibrosis caused by various conditions including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, genetic pulmonary fibrosis like Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, chemotherapy and radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and exposure-induced interstitial lung diseases including asbestosis and silicosis.
“It is difficult to see the limited treatment options that are currently available for patients with pulmonary fibrosis conditions. We are working to change that, and we’re excited about the broad therapeutic potential for this unique treatment pathway,” commented Dr. Elias.
(Source: Ocean Biomedical, Inc.)
In recent years, discoveries by Dr. Elias and his colleagues at Brown University have revealed a new target and a new pathway for treating pulmonary tissue damage in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
“We are confident in the results being generated in our anti-fibrosis platform, and we are proud to be moving them forward, especially with the potential application for these pulmonary fibrotic conditions that do not currently have effective treatment options,” said Elizabeth Ng, CEO of Ocean Biomedical.
Inhibition of Chit1
Ocean Biomedical’s innovative approach to treating lung fibrosis is focused on inhibiting Chitinase 1 (Chit1) with the company’s patented OCF-203. In four pulmonary fibrosis animal models, OCF-203 has shown an 85- 90% reduction in collagen accumulation. Results also showed efficacy in the pale-ear mouse model of Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, including impressive reductions in fibrosis. As a result, efforts are now moving towards IND-enabling studies.
“The range of pulmonary fibrosis conditions that can be impacted by this patent allowance is impressive and has potential to generate positive returns for our shareholders in multiple ways,” said Suren Ajjarapu, a director of Ocean Biomedical.
Malaria Therapy
Earlier this month, the company’s scientific co-founder Jonathan Kurtis received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for his patent application covering a therapeutic and prophylactic monoclonal antibody that kills falciparum malaria parasites. The patent allowance will allow the team to pursue the development of the monoclonal antibody as both a potential therapeutic drug for individuals with severe malaria infection as well as a potential short-term prophylactic treatment to prevent malaria infection in travelers, overseas deployed military and government personnel, and individuals living in areas with short malaria transmission seasons.