SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--San Diego, Calif.-based biotech company Diomics Corp. is aiming to nose out the novel coronavirus ahead of vaccines by using nanosized biopolymer beads to deliver monoclonal antibody protection against COVID-19 via an easy-to-administer nasal spray.
The Dioguard™ prophylactic spray, which is now undergoing in vitro testing, pairs Diomics’ proprietary synthetic biopolymer material with human IgG monoclonal antibodies licensed from another San Diego-area company, Active Motif, Inc., a leader in epigenetic research. The goal is to create a durable barrier of antibodies in the nasal cavity to capture, bind to and neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus before it can reach and enter the cells that cause infection. Research demonstrating the potent neutralizing ability of Active Motif’s 414-1 antibody has appeared in three peer reviewed journals. www.dioguard.com/science
Creating a protective shield that blocks the virus at its crucial first point of entry into the body – the nasal passages – fills a huge void in the race to develop an effective vaccine for COVID-19. “A preventative nasal spray that effectively neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 before it can cause infection we believe holds the key to allowing many aspects of life to resume until the day comes when there’s an effective vaccine in widespread use,” Diomics CEO Anthony Zolezzi said.
“Binding the neutralizing antibodies to our propriety nanobeads extends their residency time in the nasal mucosa to up to 24 hours, enabling people to replenish their protection once a day,” Zolezzi said.
Since both human monoclonal antibodies and Diomics’ biocompatible, bioresorbable Diomat™ polymer have already received FDA approval for other applications, Diomics plans to seek fast track authorization from the agency to accelerate human trials.
About Diomics
Diomics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on science-based innovation and the development of life-improving products. Our proprietary Diomat™ technology platform is optimized for the collection and delivery of compounds and proteins and can also be used for drug delivery, long-term monitoring, diagnostics and production of life-saving hormones and other bio-compounds. Based in San Diego, Calif., Diomics has developed numerous products, tools and services for the molecular, diagnostic and forensic industries. For more information visit diomics.com.
About Active Motif
Active Motif, Inc. is dedicated to developing, manufacturing and delivering epigenetics-based research tools to analyze nuclear function. Its customers include life scientists from academic and government institutions, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and reference laboratories. Active Motif operates globally through its corporate headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif. and offices in Shanghai, China; Tokyo, Japan; and Waterloo, Belgium. Active Motif applies a multi-disciplinary approach to create new and modify existing technologies to meet the current and future needs of life science researchers.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Additional scientific background, peer-reviewed research and explanatory video are available at www.dioguard.com/science.
