Starpharma nets third US dendrimer patent

Starpharma has been granted a third broad US patent for its dendrimer technology, covering applications for anti-microbial and anti-parasitic compositions.

Earlier patents covered dendrimer-based inhibitors of angiogenesis, and anti-viral dendrimer compounds. According to CEO John Raff, the company is expecting another couple of US patents to be granted soon, one for dendrimer-based antitoxins and another patent covering antiviral dendrimer applications.

The broad IP portfolio provides Starpharma with a strong base for development and licensing dendrimer applications, said Raff.

"It's a really solid patent position internationally for dendrimers in pharmaceutical applications," he said.

Starpharma is developing a number of products using dendrimer technology, both in its labs at the Baker Institute in Melbourne, and also through its US-based subsidiary, Dendritic Nanotechnologies (DNT). The company has the commercial rights to all pharmaceutical applications developed by DNT, which is expanding on the dendrimer platform technology.

Starpharma plans to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its topical microbicidal gel for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in women by the end of December. The pre-clinical studies have been extensively supported by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH is also working with Starpharma on an antiviral compound active against West Nile Virus, currently of concern to public health officials in the US, and on a second antiviral compound active against respiratory viruses including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

French company SPI-Bio is also involved with Starpharma in a drug discovery program for dendrimer compounds capable of protecting cells from the action of infectious prion proteins, such as the one that causes 'mad cow' disease.

In the cancer arena, Starpharma has developed a compound that appears to have anti-tumour activity in an animal model for colon cancer. In vivo studies are being conducted at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre with the aid of an R&D Start grant.

Raff said the company's main focus would continue to be topical antiviral dendrimer compounds, and that it was actively looking for potential partners and investors for other areas.

"We can't possibly take every application to the market. We want to collaborate with people," Raff said. "The amount of interest in the area is going up all the time."

New CEO for DNT

Meanwhile, Starpharma subsidiary DNT has announced that it has appointed Dr Charles Burke as its founding CEO.

Burke comes to the company with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, especially in the development and commercialisation of new diagnostic products and technology. He established and led the ventures group at Abbott Laboratories, which developed a number of successful diagnostic product lines, and was also CEO of Research Biochemicals, acquired by Sigma-Aldrich in 1997.

More recently Burke founded Monument Partners, a Boston-based consulting company involved in assisting start-up corporations in biotechnology and dot-com markets to develop strategy, financing, business plans and venture funding.

"The appointment of Dr Burke provides DNT with the full range of business and commercial skills which complement the outstanding scientific base of the company's US founders," Raff said.

DNT is in the process of converting from being an Australian-registered company to a US company. It recently attracted substantial funding from the US military, primarily to set up the company laboratories, which are based in Michigan, and Raff said that further investment from the US Department of Defence was likely over the next few years, particularly in applications such as bioprotection against germ warfare.

"DNT is turning into a great little company that we established at low cost; now there is significant funding coming into it," Raff said. "We haven't spent a lot, but it's a real asset."

Starpharma retains the rights to commercial development of any pharmaceutical applications that come of out DNT, and Raff said Starpharma would essentially act to on-license the technology to other players.