CLAREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Synedgen, a biotechnology company using glycopolymer chemistry to develop drugs that enhance and control signaling in the innate immune system, today announced that UNSW in partnership with Synedgen has been awarded an A$600,633, 3-year, research grant from the Australian Research Council (ARC) to advance knowledge of the biochemical and biophysical structure of the endothelial glycocalyx. The resulting study will be the first to explore how charged glycopolymers interact with the endothelial glycocalyx with the goal of mapping the lifecycle of the network of membrane-bound proteoglycans and glycoprotein.
“Synedgen is developing molecules that interact with the glycocalyx to control the movement of cells and molecules across the endothelium and we are keen to deepen the understanding of the dynamic structure of and implicit role of the endothelial glycocalyx in innate immune signaling. This ARC-funded project aims to address this knowledge deficit by mechanistically elucidating and describing the dynamic lifecycle of the endothelial glycocalyx,” said Shenda Baker, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Synedgen. “We are grateful to the ARC for this grant and honored to be working with Drs. Megan Lord and John Whitelock of the University of New South Wales, experts in proteoglycan interactions and signaling. We anticipate that results of these efforts can be leveraged to inform the development of targeted molecules to treat diseases involving the endothelial glycocalyx including cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, stroke and traumatic brain injury.”
“We still have much to learn about the structure and dynamics of the endothelial glycocalyx, a network of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans anchored at the cell surface,” said Megan Lord, Ph.D., lead PI on the grant. “Synedgen’s glycopolymers will enable us to study interactions at the endothelial interface and develop new ways to support endothelial functions.”
Synedgen believes the findings of the ARC-sponsored project will inform the company’s future research and development activities over the next 3-7 years.
Synedgen’s CEO, Shenda Baker, gave a related keynote lecture at the Pan Pacific Connective Tissue Societies Symposium on November 25, 2020, titled, “Glycopolymer interactions with the glycocalyx to modulate innate immune responses after dermal injury.” The 12th Pan Pacific Connective Tissue Societies Symposium, a virtual event held in November 2020, was held in conjunction with the scientific meetings of the Australian Wound & Tissue Repair Society (AWTRS) and Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand (MBSANZ).
About Synedgen
Synedgen is a biotechnology company using glycochemistry to develop drugs that enhance and mimic the innate immune system. The company’s lead development candidate is SYGN305 for gastrointestinal mucositis, where a large unmet need exists to prevent intestinal radiation injury, the single most important dose-limiting factor in cancer radiotherapy. Synedgen’s glycopolymer platform has already generated five FDA 510(k)-cleared therapeutics, one OTC drug, one veterinary indexed drug, and an out-licensed Phase 2 program, to Synspira, for the potential treatment of pulmonary complications of cystic fibrosis. Synedgen has research and manufacturing facilities in Claremont, California. For more information please visit www.synedgen.com.