Vasomune Therapeutics has entered into an agreement with the pharmaceutical company AnGes to expand indications for the drug candidate they are developing to treat vascular damage. The partnership will bring $4 million in funding to the start-up to continue operations, expand indications and bring drug development back to Canada.
“We’re pleased to continue to advance this technology with a trusted partner who shares our vision,” says Brian Jahns, President and CEO of Vasomune. “This expanded agreement brings us closer to mitigating pathological vascular damage in a range of conditions.”
Vasomune was created in 2014 based on research from the laboratory of the late Dr. Daniel J. Dumont at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI). Vasomune’s novel lead therapeutic, AV-001 targets vascular leakage which causes blood plasma to leak out of vessels into surrounding tissues, causing edema and low blood pressure. It is a central feature of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), when fluid builds up in the lungs restricting breathing and oxygen levels. Effective management is critical in severe respiratory illnesses, while antibiotics begin to take effect.
Now, with the support from AnGes, Vasomune is looking to expand indications beyond ARDS, including for cerebral vascular damage in patients undergoing hemodialysis and for patients with thermal burns.
With the new funding, Vasomune also intends to bring operations and manufacturing back to Canada to ensure supply chain stability.
“During COVID, we saw how global supply chains were interrupted,” says Jahns. “We’re focused on moving manufacturing onshore to ensure our drug is available to Canadians in the event of an emergency response and to give biotech and health care in Canada an opportunity to shine.”
Vasomune is currently in the midst of a phase II trial of AV-001 for ARDS, and is looking ahead to launching a new trial in patients with hemodialysis next year.
“This is an amazing step for one of Canada’s most promising sleeper companies,” says Raphael Ronen, Director of Business Development at SRI. “We at Sunnybrook are very proud to see this technology and company continue to advance.”
Learn more about Commercialization at Sunnybrook Research Institute