Lypro Biosciences’ proprietary platform, NanoDisk, can confer solubility to a range of hydrophobic bioactive agents and target those molecules to diseased cells. This versatility makes NanoDisk suitable for improving currently marketed drugs or increasing bioavailability of novel molecules across multiple disease areas.

Our initial product development efforts are in the therapeutic areas of infectious disease and cancer. Proof of concept work is underway in metabolic diseases and RNAi delivery.

		Formulation	in vitro	in vivo	IND
NanoDisk for aspergillosis and other severe systemic fungal infections
NanoDisk for leishmaniasis
Targeted NanoDisk for mantle cell lymphoma
Lipid Replacement Therapy for Barth Syndrome

Infectious Disease

Aspergillosis & other systemic fungal infections

Aspergillosis is caused by a fungus (Aspergillus) which is commonly found growing on decomposing vegetation. Anyone spending time outdoors or around grain silos may be exposed to the fungus. While infections are rare in those with a normal immune system, they are prevalent in immune compromised populations such as HIV/AIDS, cancer and organ transplant patients. Despite the number of systemic antifungals available to clinicians, mortality rates for aspergillosis are as high as 90%. These patients often suffer other diseases leaving them especially weak. It may be that a faster acting therapy, one that quickly kills the aspergillus infection, may result in lower mortality rates. In proof of concept studies, Lypro’s novel formulation of amphotericin B (AMB), AMB-NanoDisk, has proven to be faster acting than other AMB formulations yielding better survival. Because NanoDisk enhance the drug availability, versus drug sequestered inside a liposome or solubilized in detergent micelles, doses up to an order magnitude lower than clinically prescribed levels of AMB are effective. Click here to learn more.

Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoal parasites of the genus Leishmania. Infection with these parasites can cause disfiguring lesions or, in some cases, result in death. Residents of tropical climates along with humanitarian aide workers, military personnel and other personnel serving in these areas are at risk for leishmaniasis. While prevention is the optimal goal, there is a great need for new treatment options. Current treatments exist but are toxic, suffer from relapse incidences and, in some cases result in development of resistance. In proof of concept in vivo studies, Lypro’s novel formulation of AMB demonstrates decreased lesion size and parasite burden. In stark contrast to liposomal AMB therapy, mice treated with Lypro’s formulation had completely cleared the infection by 140 - 250 days post-infection, with no lesions remaining and no parasites isolated from infected animals.

Cancer

Targeted cancer therapy for mantle cell lymphoma

Cancer is the general name for a group of more than 100 diseases in which cells in a part of body begin to grow out of control. Targeting NanoDisk to a specific cell surface receptor(s) allows a cell killing agent to be delivered directly to the diseased cell. Lypro employs multiple strategies to target diseased cells. Similar approaches are now being used for cancer treatment in the form of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), but these agents suffer from complex chemistries, limited drug to antibody stoichiometry and obstacles to drug release. Targeted NanoDisk may be considered an ADC parallel technology unencumbered by ADC chemistries and patent estates.

While targeted NanoDisk are broadly applicable to all cancers, our initial work is focused on treatment of mantle cell lymphoma, a sub-type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Despite progress made in treating lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma remains a poorly treated disease with a medium survival time of 3 to 4 years. New therapy regimens have increased the complete remission rate but they have done little to change overall survival. Our work with targeted NanoDisk employ various cytotoxic payloads such as all trans retinoic acid and curcumin. Click here to learn more.