DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inhalon Biopharma, a clinical-stage company advancing a proprietary inhaled antibody platform for treating acute respiratory infections (ARI), today announced a new agreement with the University of Georgia to license a panel of Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) antibodies. With this license, Inhalon Biopharma plans to select antibody candidates to advance into clinical development for the treatment of hMPV.
“This agreement allows us to continue building a robust pipeline of potential treatments for acute respiratory infections on our innovative platform,” said John Whelan, president and chief executive officer, Inhalon Biopharma. “Our team is committed to building upon our initial clinical successes with COVID-19 and advancing antibody treatments for a range of respiratory infections including RSV, influenza, and hMPV.”
Human metapneumovirus is an acute respiratory infection characterized by cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath, which is responsible for more than 1 million clinical visits, 260,000 pediatric emergency department visits, and 20,000 hospitalizations annually in the U.S.1,2 Most prevalent in the winter and spring, it is transmitted through coughing, sneezing, contact with affected individuals, and contaminated surfaces. Similar to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hMPV is in the Pneumoviridae family and is most dangerous to young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems as clinical symptoms of hMPV infection may progress to bronchitis or pneumonia like other viruses that cause upper and lower respiratory infections.3
"It's truly gratifying to see Inhalon working to advance treatment for patients with hMPV. I am hopeful that our work can one day ease the burden of disease for individuals affected by hMPV," said Jarrod Mousa, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Center for Vaccines and Immunology, Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia whose lab developed the antibodies.
About Inhalon Biopharma
Inhalon Biopharma is a clinical-stage company advancing a proprietary inhaled antibody platform for treating a variety of acute respiratory infections. Inhalon Biopharma’s intellectual property includes approved U.S. and EU patents covering the composition and use of aerosolized muco-trapping antibodies. Inhalon Biopharma is supported by the Thiel Foundation’s Breakout Labs, Life Science Angels, and JSR Life Sciences as well as several federal grants from the NIH and USAMRDC.
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1 Gálvez, Nicolás M S et al. “Host Components That Modulate the Disease Caused by hMPV.” Viruses vol. 13,3 519. 22 Mar. 2021, doi:10.3390/v13030519
2 Edwards, Kathryn M et al. “Burden of Human Metapneumovirus Infection in Young Children.” The New England Journal of Medicine vol. 368,7 (2013): 633-43. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1204630
3 Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available: https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/human-metapneumovirus.html.
