![]() In addition, Altamira is in the process of divesting and/or licensing-out its legacy assets in allergology and viral infection (Bentrio® OTC nasal spray commercial) and inner ear therapeutics (AM-125 nasal spray for vertigo post Phase 2 Keyzilen® and Sonsuvi® for tinnitus and hearing loss Phase 3). The versatile delivery platform is also suited for mRNA and other types of RNA therapeutics and shall be leveraged via out-licensing to pharma or biotech companies. The Company currently has two flagship siRNA programs in preclinical development beyond in vivo proof of concept: AM-401 for KRAS driven cancer and AM-411 for rheumatoid arthritis. Effective delivery of mRNA and positive treatment outcomes have been demonstrated in various murine models of disease, including osteoarthritis (WNT16 and DNMT3B), atherosclerosis (p27 Kip1), aortic aneurysm (SOD2), and cancer (ZBTB46).Īltamira Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CYTO) is dedicated to developing RNA-based therapeutics for extrahepatic targets (OligoPhore™ / SemaPhore™ delivery platforms). SemaPhore protects the RNA payload from degradation in the circulation and allows for rapid cellular uptake, while enabling pH-dependent nucleotide endosomal escape and cytoplasmic delivery. The polyplex has a size, charge, and other physical features that allow it to escape hepatic clearance and thus to reach other target tissues than the liver. It is based on a patented 21-amino acid peptide that can engage any type of RNA in rapid self-assembly into a polyplex. SemaPhore is a versatile platform for safe and effective delivery of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) into target cells. We are keen on seeing SemaPhore adopted for the development of promising novel mRNA therapeutics in collaboration with biotech and pharma partners." "SemaPhore's effective cellular uptake and transfection capacity, which was recently confirmed by an independent comparison of several mRNA delivery technologies in cancer cells, as well as the ability to reach extrahepatic targets and achieve high release rates for the RNA payload, resonate well given the limitations of LNPs. "We are excited about the increasing recognition of SemaPhore's differentiating features, as we are seeing growing interest by pharma and biotech companies in our technology," commented Covadonga Pañeda, Ph.D., Altamira's Chief Operating Officer. This latter feature is essential for those therapeutic indications where repeated administrations are required. ![]() In addition, SemaPhore is able to protect its RNA cargo from degradation without triggering an immune response (non-immunogenic). SemaPhore nanoparticles are characterized by a favorable tolerability profile while solving some of the inherent issues observed with LNPs: namely, delivering their cargo extra-hepatically, and efficiently promoting cellular uptake as well as endosomal release. These limitations include predominant uptake by the liver following systemic administration, limited stability (requiring storage at ultralow temperatures), LNP-related toxicity and immunogenicity as well as poor endosomal release within cells (reported at only 1-2% of the payload).,īased on SemaPhore's unique features, Altamira sees strong promise for its application in the field of mRNA delivery. While LNPs have been effectively and widely used especially for delivery of mRNA vaccines, they have certain limitations which prevent or restrict their use in various promising areas of therapeutic mRNA application. According to fresh data from the Beacon RNA database by Hanson Wade, the number of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics under development has now grown to more than 840, of which 356 are using some sort of LNP for delivery.
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