Two groundbreaking drug discovery projects, supported by Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), have secured over £1m in funding from Innovate UK’s Launchpad Northern Ireland programme.
SignaCor Therapeutics and Klas Therapeutics, both based in Northern Ireland, have been awarded a share of funding from the Launchpad programme.
The funding provides a vital boost to the SMEs’ research programmes, which focus on innovations to treat heart disease and skin cancer.
MDC, a national Life Science service dedicated to supporting drug discovery teams to develop marketed therapies, will collaborate with SignaCor and Klas on each project. The companies will have access to MDC’s expertise, industry-leading technology and commercial insights to support the development of these innovative treatments.
SignaCor is a clinical-stage spin-out company from Queen’s University Belfast, developing a new treatment for symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM is a disease of the heart muscle in which the muscle wall becomes thickened, making it harder for blood to be pumped around the body. It is a genetically inherited cardiac disorder affecting around 1 in 500 people in the UK.
SignaCor is developing a first-in-class treatment that can reverse damage to the heart and prevent further deterioration of heart function. It will go beyond symptom management and treat multiple underlying causes of the disease, leading to better quality of life and longer life expectancies for patients.
MDC will support SignaCor in this new partnership by analysing plasma protein signatures to better understand the treatment’s effect and identify potential novel biomarkers. This will enable further testing and evaluation to determine the therapeutic’s response within specific patient groups.
Developing this deeper understanding helps ensure treatment effectiveness and highlights patient groups that would benefit from SignaCor’s therapeutic approach.
Funding has also been awarded to Klas, a spin-out from Ulster University. The company is harnessing cutting-edge research and technological innovation to combat malignant melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer and the fifth most common cancer in the UK.
Klas’ flagship technology offers a breakthrough in cancer therapy by drastically reducing tumour size with minimal side effects and scarring.
It works by utilising a process known as photodynamic therapy (PDT). Light is used to activate its photosensitive compound, Klas-PDT, which targets and kills cancer cells. By stimulating the body’s immune system, Klas-PDT can be combined with existing immunotherapies, leading to reduced costs and improved patient outcomes.
The new funded project builds on an existing partnership between MDC and Klas. MDC will apply its advanced capabilities, including mass spectrometry and microscopy, to investigate the effects of Klas’s therapeutic and its metabolites at a cellular and subcellular level.
MDC will apply a multi-organ spatial transcriptomics approach to enhance the value and data output of the studies. Unlocking this information will help Klas understand the therapeutic candidate’s mechanism of action while evaluating its safety and effectiveness as a potential treatment option for patients with melanoma.
Dr Martin Main, Chief Scientific Officer, Medicines Discovery Catapult, said:
“We are delighted that SignaCor and Klas have both been successful in securing this funding. The projects offer the potential for highly innovative treatment options for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and malignant melanoma, two diseases affecting thousands of people daily across the UK. We look forward to collaborating with SignaCor and Klas on these projects and validating their novel approaches through MDC’s expertise, data, insights, and technology. Together, we will drive game-changing breakthroughs for the benefit of patients.”
Dr Chris Watson, Chief Executive Officer, SignaCor Therapeutics, said:
“SignaCor are excited to be collaborating with Medicines Discovery Catapult on this Innovate UK Northern Ireland Life Science Launchpad project. The deep biomarker and diagnostic development expertise at MDC will add real value as SignaCor progress our first-in-class Cardiaza therapeutic for symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy through clinical development. Cardiaza will deliver real patient impact in an area of significant unmet need, with the potential to redefine the standard of care for symptomatic HCM.”
Dr Bridgeen Callan, Chief Executive Officer, Klas Therapeutics, said:
“Klas Therapeutics is absolutely delighted to be awarded this significant funding from Innovate UK. It will help us navigate the path towards commercialisation for this much-needed technology, taking us a step closer to our ultimate goal of achieving patient benefit. The fact that we can continue to work alongside MDC is of significant added value, as their expertise and professionalism serves to really enhance our prospects in achieving our goal.”
