2023-12-016 - Antimalarial YAT - Development of a new family of Irresistible Antimalarial drugs with a Novel mechanism of Action
Contacts
ES
Acronim & Gínjol codes
Antimalarial YAT
2023-12-016
Main technology offer
Development of a new drug with potent in vitro activity against Plasmodium
Ownership
Barcelona, Spain
2005
Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC)
Public Partners
Readiness Level
3-4 Experimental PoC /
5 Prototype /
6-7 MVP /
8 Industrialization /
9 Commercialization
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Impact: ESG & SDG Goals
The institution has a clear commitment towards the inclusion and diversity,employee engagement, human rights and wellbeing. Furthermore, the project has a commitment towards reducing environmental impact, engaging citizenship, and overseed ethical aspects and gender equality, regarding the widespreading of the technology.
Eliminating malaria from endemic regions would represent a giant leap forward for the affected countries, not only in terms of the health of their citizens, but also in boosting their economic activity, which is significantly limited by the incapacitating effects, reduced life expectancy and increase in death cases caused by this devastating parasitic infection, often disregarded by the high per capita income nations that look upon this dramatic health problem from a comfortably safe distance. However, the current climatic crisis might change this scenario, and malaria and other parasitic infections can be soon rampant again in Europe, as they were not too long ago.
Market Data
The malaria parasite has been relentlessly evolving resistance to every single drug used against it for the last 100 years, rendering once promising compounds, like the quinine-derived quinolines, virtually useless today in many endemic regions. We have discovered a series of molecules that potentially contain all the requisits for erraicating malaria worldwide. It is inexpensive to produce, uses new mechanisms of action that are presumably irresistible and stable and very effective against plasmodium.
982000000
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0
Creating of an attractive preclinical pacakge of results for out-licensing.
Malaria is the first parasitic disease in number of deaths in the world. In 2021 there were 247 million cases, an increase of 2 million cases compared with 2020, and 619,000 deaths worldwide, with four countries accounting for almost half of all cases: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Mozambique. The currently used drugs against them are becoming increasingly ineffective due to rapid evolution of resistance in the parasites.
The global antimalarial drug market was valued at $982 M in 2021, and it is expected to reach $1.2 Bi n 2028, at a CAGR of 4.2%.
Funding
150000
First scale-up production of the selected derivatives. • In-vivo assays completion with positive results. • Patent out-license to a committed company.
Technology Status
Irresistible small molecule, with fast and inexpensive synthesis, displaying optimal activity/toxicity ratio.
Financial barriers
We will do the first scale-up of our synhtesis and followed by the full battery of in vivo assays. In the meantime, we expect to increase the visibility of the project among key players in the malaria market.
European patent application for YAT2150 submitted on the 21st of October 2021 with the title “Compounds for the treatment of malaria”. A year later, PCT application was completed and submitted containing more molecules and widening the scope of protection. The International Search Report (ISR) issued by the European Patent Office reported excellent feedback for all the claims and all the patentability requirements: novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability. The PCT application entered national phases in April 2024 in seven regions and countries: Nigeria, ARIPO (African region), Europe, Brazil, USA, China and India.
Talented team, a Severo Ochoa acredited institution with 23 research teams , that count on the support of management and research facilities. The institution offers mentoring programs and trainings on innovation, open science, research management, etc. A skilled research team with know-how regarding the technology, and expertise in molecular biology and biosintetic approaches for drug synthesis and targeted therapies to specific organs.
Quality Management
A quality management system is used for management of innovation, and will be implemented in all the steps of the product life. The quality system is based on leadership, enganement of team members and stakeholders, in improvement, evidence-based decision making, excellence, transparency and talent retention.
Additional information
The high impact of malaria on impoverished areas calls for the urgent action of research groups and funding institutions worldwide to implement the necessary steps leading to the clinical development of promising new drugs like the ones proposed here. The positive outcomes of eliminating malaria from the regions where it is endemic would represent a giant leap forward for the affected countries, not only in terms of the health of their citizens, but also in boosting their economic activity, which is significantly limited by the incapacitating effects, reduced life expectancy and increase in death cases caused by this devastating parasitic infection, often disregarded by the high per capita income nations that look upon this dramatic health problem from a comfortably safe distance. However, the current climatic crisis might change this scenario, and malaria and other parasitic infections can be soon rampant again in Europe, as they were not too long ago