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Starpharma
Overview
Starpharma Pooled Development Ltd is an ASX listed company established
in 1996 to develop polyvalent nanoscale molecules called dendrimers,
which had been under development by the Biomolecular Research Institute
(BRI) in Melbourne, Australia, since 1992. The BRI first investigated
dendrimers as protein mimics for pharmaceutical applications, before
licensing the technology to Starpharma Pooled Development Ltd’s
subsidiary company, Starpharma Ltd (“Starpharma”). Today,
Starpharma Pooled Development Ltd has parallel investments to develop
both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical applications of dendrimer
nanotechnology.
As a registered pooled development fund (PDF), shareholders of
Starpharma Pooled Development Ltd are entitled to significant taxation
benefits. Investee companies include Starpharma Ltd, which manages
the group’s activities associated with the development and
commercialisation of dendrimers for pharmaceutical applications,
and Dendritic Nanotechnologies, Inc. (DNT) based in Michigan, USA,
which carries out the development and commercialisation of dendrimers
for other applications.
Starpharma’s team of highly skilled dendrimer chemists is
a core asset of the company. The team’s dendrimer and medicinal
chemistry knowledge has been generated through years of experience
and is an important factor in the successful commercialisation of
dendrimer nanotechnology.
The company aims to create value for shareholders from dendrimer
nanotechnology by growing and utilising our team’s core skills
in dendrimer and medicinal chemistry, and associated development,
commercialisation and regulatory compliance activities to -
- advance selected pharmaceutical products through early stage
development;
- leverage our IP position through partnerships and licensing;
- partner with pharmaceutical and other companies to provide
new opportunities and solve problems.
Technology
Starpharma’s leading product in late stage preclinical development
is a vaginal microbicide, VivaGel™, for the prevention of
HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (i.e. hepatitis B, herpes
simplex and Chlamydia). In recent primate studies, VivaGel™
was 100% effective in the control of HIV infection. Starpharma is
submitting an IND application to the US FDA for human trials of
the microbicide in June 2003. This is the first dendrimer based
product to go through the US regulatory system.
Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter, molecule by molecule,
to create new materials with novel, tailored properties. Dendrimers
(dendri – tree, mer – branch) are synthetic, nanoscale
structures that can be tailored for various applications. Specialised
chemistry techniques allow for precise control over the physical
and chemical properties of the dendrimers. They are constructed
generation by generation in a series of controlled steps that increase
the number of small branching molecules around a central core molecule.
The final generation of molecules added to the growing structure
makes up the polyvalent surface of the dendrimer and can be chosen
to give desired properties and functions.
Dendrimers are nanoscale compositions of matter with a wide range
of applications in diverse industries including medical, electronics,
chemicals and materials. Dendrimers also provide a unique system
to design and synthesise nanotechnology components.
Dendrimers are polyvalent, meaning that a single dendrimer can
have multiple, simultaneous attachments to biological targets (e.g.
cell surface). Polyvalent interactions are significant in the development
of novel pharmaceuticals. Many natural biological structures possess
multiple binding, or therapeutic, targets. Polyvalent molecules
can effectively and efficiently interact with these multiple binding
targets, resulting in enhanced or novel pharmaceutical activity
compared with small molecules.
Dendrimers can be similar in size to biological structures, such
as proteins. Dendrimers are suitable for the development of polyvalent,
highly defined pharmaceuticals with unique activities and applications,
or for creating new and improved presentations of existing pharmaceuticals.
Some benefits of dendrimers as drugs include their activity against
a wide range of diseases, stability as solids and in a variety of
pharmaceutical formulations, favourable toxicity profile, reproducible
and defined structures and cost effective cGMP manufacture.
By altering the surface composition, dendrimers can be targeted
to specific diseases, tissues or organs, and important properties
such as bioavailability can be altered.
Competitive Advantages
Starpharma has established a leading IP position in dendrimer pharmaceuticals.
Starpharma’s technology is protected by a number of patents
covering a wide range of applications of dendrimers and polyvalent
compounds. Three of these patents are broad-based patents granted
in the US.
In addition to its own extensive intellectual property portfolio,
Starpharma also has license rights to 33 patent families (182 issued
patents) and all future IP relevant to pharmaceuticals from Dendritic
Nanotechnologies, Inc. (DNT).
Starpharma’s dendrimer nanotechnologies have several competitive
advantages over other technologies -
- dendrimers are polyvalent while most conventional small molecules
are not;
- compared with large linear polymers, dendrimers are rigid structures
that enable more predictable placement of surface groups and greater
control of surface functionality;
- dendrimer properties can be easily tailored for a wide range
of applications and functions.
Corporate Alliances / Partnerships
Funding for Starpharma’s development projects has been sought
and obtained from government (Australian and US) grants. In this
way, shareholder equity is maintained, and even increased, compared
with the alternative strategy of raising additional capital through
the issue of new shares. A key part of Starpharma’s strategy
in reducing development cost is to form relationships and alliances
with leading companies and institutions around the world, including
universities, contract research organisations and contract manufacturers.
Starpharma’s extensive network of international collaborators
significantly expands our capabilities in the full spectrum of drug
development activities from discovery research through to GMP manufacture.
Partners
Australia and New Zealand:
- Industrial Research Limited (Wellington)
- Institute of Drug Technology (IDT) Australia, Ltd (Melbourne)
- Monash University (Melbourne)
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute (Melbourne)
- RMIT University (Melbourne)
- University of New South Wales, Centre for Entomological Research
and Insecticide Technology (Sydney)
- Victorian College of Pharmacy, Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation
Europe
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (Czech Republic)
- REGA Institute (Belgium)
USA
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (Ohio)
- Dendritic Nanotechnologies, Inc. (Michigan)
- Fox Chase Institute for Cancer (Pennsylvania)
- Georgetown University (Maryland)
- Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University (Utah)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH), NCI and NIAID (Maryland)
- US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases
(Maryland)
- University of Alabama (Alabama)
Partnering Opportunities
Dendrimers have potential applications such as:
- new drugs with unique activities;
- targeted drug delivery or modifying agents for new and existing
drugs;
- diagnostics;
- many other life and non-life science products.
Starpharma has immediate licensing opportunities and is actively
seeking strategic commercialisation partners and licensees for its
technologies at all stages of development. Starpharma also seeks
to work with companies to enable the incorporation of its platform
technologies into new and existing pharmaceutical products.
Starpharma’s current development programs focus on compounds
with therapeutic activity in the following specific disease areas
-
- sexually transmitted diseases (e.g. HIV)
- respiratory viruses (e.g. influenza, RSV)
- systemic viral diseases (e.g. HBV)
- cancer (angiogenesis)
- biodefense (toxins, exotic viruses)
Potential benefits of Starpharma’s technology for licensees
and partners include -
- opportunities for development of new pharmaceuticals with novel
activities, optimised properties and significant potential market
value;
- improved pharmaceutical activity of existing drugs;
- improved bioavailability of existing drugs;
- improved solubility of existing drugs;
- improved delivery of existing drugs;
- specific targeting of organs or diseases by existing drugs;
- reduced side effects of existing drugs;
- extended patent life of existing drugs;
- worldwide exclusive license opportunities.
Partnerships to develop Starpharma’s technologies could include
Starpharma’s expertise for the successful development of dendrimer-based
products. Starpharma’s established skills and expertise in
these areas lower the barrier to entry for commercial partners and
licensees in the field of dendrimer nanotechnology.
| Contact Person |
John Raff, PhD |
|
| Job Title |
Chief Executive Officer |
| Address |
PO Box 6535 |
| City/Suburb |
St Kilda Rd Central
Victoria 8008 Australia |
| Email |
john.raff@starpharma.com |
| Phone |
+61 3 8532 2701 |
| Fax |
+61 3 9510 5955 |
| Website |
www.starpharma.com |
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