N4 Pharma files for new UK patent on 'Nuvec'

(Sharecast News) - Specialist pharmaceutical company N4 Pharma has filed a new UK patent application around both the ability of its 'Nuvec' delivery system ability to be used to manufacture viral vectors, and to make viral vectors more efficient in applications such as ex-vivo gene therapy treatments.
The AIM-traded firm explained that Nuvec has a unique structure that allowed the easy loading of DNA plasmids.

It said the manufacture of viral vectors typically required the use of two or more plasmids, while Nuvec had been shown to be capable of loading multiple plasmids.

In recent research conducted by the company, it was demonstrated that loading Nuvec with the three plasmids typically used to produce lentivirus resulted in an increase in the amount of the desired viral vector produced.

The manufacture of viral vectors was an expensive process, and so using Nuvec's ability to efficiently load and deliver multiple plasmids could greatly reduce the cost involved in the process, N4 claimed.

It said an important use of viral vectors was in ex-vivo gene therapy, in which a patient's cells are taken from their body and more are grown in the laboratory.

While still outside the body, those cells are modified by adding the gene of interest into their DNA by using viral vectors that are carrying the gene.

Those cells, carrying the gene designed to treat the patient, are then re-inserted back into the patient's body.

In separate research, N4 Pharma said it had demonstrated that when complexed with a lentivirus carrying a gene of interest, Nuvec could be used as a reagent to produce cells containing the gene using a fraction of the original lentivirus, thus suggesting the process could be made cheaper and more efficient.

The company said it was now working with external consultants to identify how best to enter the virus manufacture and ex-vivo gene therapy markets.

"Whilst investigating the dispersion of Nuvec to improve its in-vivo consistency, we have been undertaking research on the in-vitro applications of Nuvec as all our data shows good and consistent loading and in-vitro transfection using Nuvec," said chief executive officer Nigel Theobald.

"The global viral vector manufacturing market was valued at $273m in 2017 and is expected to grow to $816m by 2023."

He added that sales of transduction reagents were estimated to be $68m in 2017, growing to $123m by 2024.

"These are significant markets for in-vitro applications of Nuvec and will allow us to look at additional commercial opportunities whilst we continue to develop our in-vivo data package for licensing Nuvec as a delivery system for cancer treatments and vaccines."

At 0921 BST, shares in N4 Pharma were up 21.17% at 6.24p.