BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Porosome Therapeutics, Inc. (Porosome Therapeutics) has announced the development of a radically new and distinctive therapeutic offering to treat cystic fibrosis, filing a comprehensive patent addressing the disorder and other health conditions. Porosome Therapeutics’ paradigm-shifting approach is the first therapeutic application of the porosome, the cell’s secretory apparatus. The approach addresses the cell's secretory machinery and water transport regulation to treat secretion and hydration disorders, like cystic fibrosis.
More than two decades ago, Porosome Therapeutics’ Founder and Chairman, Professor Bhanu P. Jena, identified a new cellular structure – the porosome. After its discovery within the cell, the porosome was isolated and its structure and composition determined before new porosomes were successfully inserted into cells to enhance secretion. This groundbreaking discovery provides a platform for cystic fibrosis treatments, as well as other secretory and hydration disorders such as certain cancers, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes.
The treatment comprises two different therapeutic pathways. Porosome Therapeutics’ first pathway for the treatment of cystic fibrosis calls for the non-invasive replacement of the mutated protein to restore the normal mucin secretion and function in organs by inserting a healthy porosome into a diseased cell. The second pathway uses small molecules to restore secretory function to affected porosome proteins. Porosome Therapeutics’ studies on human lung epithelial cell lines expressing cystic fibrosis have shown significant – and unprecedented – enhancement of mucin secretion.
“By incorporating normally functioning CFTR-associated porosomes into diseased cells or by specifically targeting affected porosome proteins, these proposed therapies will ameliorate cystic fibrosis symptoms at a fundamental level, restoring function and thereby treating the disorder,” said Professor Jena. “The porosome platform provides a promising entry into a new era of drug development and therapy.”
Porosome Therapeutics has demonstrated positive pre-clinical results and is currently conducting in vivo studies with a leading cystic fibrosis research center.
“While treatments exist to lessen symptoms and consequences of cystic fibrosis, until Porosome Therapeutics’ ground-breaking development, none of the existing treatments have addressed the CFTR-mutated protein in terms of its secretory ecosystem,” said Guillermo Marmol, CEO, Porosome Therapeutics. “As the discoverer of the porosome and its potential, and following decades of research, Porosome Therapeutics’ founder has inspired its incredible team to unleash the body’s existing yet untapped capabilities of self-generation to effectively address the core cause of cystic fibrosis symptoms.”
About Porosome Therapeutics, Inc.
Porosome Therapeutics Inc. is a Boston-based biopharmaceutical company utilizing breakthrough discovery and novel technologies to identify and create patent-pending high-value therapeutics for currently undruggable porosome protein and lipid targets relating to secretory and hydration disorders such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and cancer.
Porosome Therapeutics is the first company with a technology platform that develops novel therapies targeting the porosome, the universal cellular structure controlling secretion. This platform is based on decades of research supported by more than 200 publications and is effective against many serious diseases involving secretory defects. The platform also specializes in highly specific disease-targeting that yields superior therapies and a reduction or elimination of side effects.
Porosome Therapeutics Leadership
Bhanu P. Jena, PhD, Founder and Chairman
Distinguished Professor Bhanu P. Jena is a leading cell biologist and chemist who has made seminal contributions to the understanding of cell secretion, membrane fusion, and transport. He is currently the Founder and Chairman of Porosome Therapeutics, Inc. A full biography can be found here.
Guillermo (Gil) Marmol, President and CEO
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Porosome Therapeutics, Inc., Gil Marmol applies his broad and unique wealth of strategic planning, development, and operations experience to bring groundbreaking science and technology to market to treat previously intractable and undruggable conditions. A full biography can be found here.
Joachim Frank, PhD, Scientific Advisory Board Chairman, 2017 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
Chairman of the Porosome Therapeutics, Inc.’s Scientific Advisory Board, Professor Joachim Frank is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of Biological Sciences at Columbia University and a Distinguished Professor at the State University of New York at Albany. A full biography can be found here.
About Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that adversely affects the cells that secrete mucus, perspiration, and digestive fluids. Normally, these fluids are slick and thin. However, a faulty gene in people with cystic fibrosis makes the secretions in the lungs, digestive system, and other body organs thick and sticky. The secretions clog tubes, ducts, and passages rather than lubricating them, particularly in the pancreas and lungs. It is estimated that more than 160,000 people worldwide are living with cystic fibrosis, with current life expectancy at just 44 years old.
