The Company
Novapep is an Australian-US biotech company which has developed its biparetide agonist peptide, which mimics the mechanisms of action of Activated Protein C (APC). APC and biparetide activate PAR1 and PAR3 cell receptors, which produces anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective cell signalling. The Company’s primary target diseases are inflammatory skin disorders and inflammatory bowel disease ('IBD').
Novapep’s co-founders, Professor John Griffin at the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego and Professor Chris Jackson at the University of Sydney, have conducted over 15 years of ground-breaking R&D in APC. Professor Griffin invented the PAR1 agonist peptide and subsequently biparetide - the PAR1/PAR3 conjugated agonist peptide.
Novapep has licensed the biparetide patents from the Scripps, which provide IP protection to 2039.
Professor Chris Jackson at the University of Sydney has published more than 60 papers in APC in inflammatory skin disorders and he leads Novapep's biparetide dermatology program. Prof Silvio Danese, a world expert in IBD, has published papers showing APC is effective in the treatment of IBD and he leads Novapep's biparetide IBD program.
The competitive advantages of biparetide include:
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Biparetide far cheaper to manufacture than APC, is stable and is well suited to topical and oral delivery methods.
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Current treatments for these disease have significant side effects and/or are far more expensive to manufacture than biparetide formulations.
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Biparetide exerts multiple protective mechanisms of action in target diseases.
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Successful translation of different biparetide formulations will make them first in class drugs for Novapep's target indications.