ProtAffin has developed the CellJammer® discovery technology to generate biopharmaceuticals addressing many of the highest priority disease targets in the pharmaceutical industry. Using this technology, the Company has created a pipeline of glycan-binding decoy proteins that cause potent down-regulation of protein function and have applications in inflammation, respiratory and oncology.
By developing biopharmaceuticals which bind glycans, ProtAffin avoids many limitations of established drug modalities, such as monoclonal antibodies and small molecules. The approach is applicable to 500 targets contained in our proprietary database, including chemokines and growth factors.
ProtAffin’s lead product is PA401, an anti-inflammatory protein derived from interleukin-8 (IL-8) which was generated using CellJammer® discovery technology. PA401 has shown outstanding preclinical efficacy in models of neutrophilic lung inflammation including COPD and a Phase 1 study is scheduled to start in Q2 2012. COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in the western world. PA401 has an excellent safety profile and superior efficacy versus competitors on the market and other products currently in development for the treatment of COPD.
ProtAffin’s most advanced product candidate is PA401, a glycan-binding decoy protein based on IL-8. Using our CellJammer® discovery platform, we have modified human IL-8 to act as a targeted anti-inflammatory product.
The CellJammer® discovery platform generates glycan-binding decoy proteins in inflammation and oncology. It is a novel biologics platform alternative to mAb and scaffold technologies as well as to glycan-based approaches like heparin.
ProtAffin is actively seeking collaborations with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to use the CellJammer® discovery platform to target protein-glycan interactions using decoy proteins.
ProtAffin has 25 employees and is located in Graz, Austria and London, UK. ProtAffin is supported by government grants and a renowned syndicate of international venture capital investors.