WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., July 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eradivir
(https://www.eradivir.com/), a preclinical biotech company, leverages small
molecule targeting technology developed in Philip Low's
(https://www.chem.purdue.edu/people/profile/plow) lab at Purdue University to
focus on a platform of immunotherapies for viral infections like influenza and
other diseases.
CEO Martin Low said Eradivir's lead drug EV25 treats influenza, a disease that
affects up to 40 million Americans, kills between 10,000 and 50,000, and
hospitalizes 150,000 to 750,000 annually.
"EV25 relies on a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug as a basis to
deliver an attached immunogenic payload containing haptens, specifically to the
surface of virus and virus-infected cells," Martin Low (rhymes with "now") said.
"As a result, EV25 both inhibits viral reproduction and kills the flu virus and
infected cells."
Martin Low said EV25 has demonstrated several advantages over current influenza
drugs.
"It promotes a quicker recovery even after delaying treatment well beyond the
standard 48 hours from the appearance of symptoms," he said. "It also reduces
both the risk of drug resistance and the number of doses required to only one."
Developmental steps
Eradivir has successfully completed preclinical studies required by regulatory
agencies to dose EV25 in humans.
"A Phase I study, designed to indicate the safety of EV25 in healthy volunteers,
is scheduled to begin in Antwerp, Belgium, at the end of the year," Martin Low
said. "Also planned for 2025 are two Phase II studies that will confirm safety
and indicate the efficacy of EV25."
Martin Low said because Eradivir's overall immunological technology platform has
the potential to treat multiple diseases, the company is also conducting studies
on other molecules to treat dengue and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus.
"We have seen some early success and hope to demonstrate proof of concept for
one of these molecules by the end of the year," he said.
Eradivir leadership
Eradivir's team has been very successful in developing small molecule therapies
in cancer, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases. Its board members
include Philip Low and Raymond Schinazi, who have worked on several drugs that
have been approved for the market.
"We have built a team that understands viruses and how to develop small
molecules. Many of us have worked together in the past and know how to get
things done," Martin Low said.
Eradivir's Purdue University connections
Philip Low is Purdue's Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C.
Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science
(https://www.purdue.edu/science/). He also is on the faculty of the Purdue
Institute for Drug Discovery (https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/drug-
discovery/) and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research
(https://www.purdue.edu/cancer-research/). He has started seven successful
companies based on his research, and three of his drugs have been approved by
the FDA.
"It is our goal to continue our discovery work in these areas at Purdue
University," Martin Low said. "Our investors share this vision and have to date
contributed over $18 million in financing."
Philip Low disclosed the immunological technology innovations to the Purdue
Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization
(https://purdueinnovates.org/otc/), which has applied for a patent to protect
the intellectual property. OTC licensed the innovations to Eradivir for further
development and commercialization.
About Eradivir
Eradivir's goal is to focus the power of the immune system to treat disease. Its
small-molecule, bispecific immunotherapy tethers a patient's immune cells
specifically to a diseased cell facilitating its rapid and selective
destruction. Its first drug to go into humans, EV25, is directed against
influenza.
About Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization
The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization
(https://purdueinnovates.org/otc/) operates one of the most comprehensive
technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S.
Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of
Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities through
commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. In
fiscal year 2023, the office reported 150 deals finalized with 203 technologies
signed, 400 disclosures received and 218 issued U.S. patents. The office is
managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation &
Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public
and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third
nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue
Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the
mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org (mailto:otcip@prf.org) for
more information.
Writer/Media contact: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org (mailto:sgmartin@prf.org)
Source: Martin Low, martin.low@eradivir.com (mailto:martin.low@eradivir.com)
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