CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aviceda Therapeutics a late-stage, pre-clinical biotech company focused on developing the next generation of immuno-modulators by harnessing the power of glycobiology to manipulate the innate immune system and chronic, non-resolving inflammation, is announcing additional members of its Scientific Advisory Board who will help shape ongoing research and development efforts.
“It is critical that the biotechnology industry and academic institutions work together to develop therapeutics for diseases with significant unmet medical needs, and CCRC is an ideal partner to support us in this effort,” said Mohamed Genead, M.D., Co-Founder & President and Chief Executive Officer. “CCRC at university of Georgia has an impressive track record of cutting-edge research in glycochemistry and glycobiology, as well as in innate immunity. We are excited to collaborate with CCRC in our efforts and look forward to build next generation glyco-therapeutics together.”
“We are eager to collaborate with Aviceda on this research partnership," said Prof. Geert-Jan Boons, Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Chair for the CCRC Department of Chemistry. “The expertise and infrastructure at CCRC will be invaluable to the rapid progression of glyco-therapeutics into clinical studies,” he added.
CCRC lab will work together on this collaboration with Aviceda’s in house lab. “This project will be our highest priority for the group in the next few months as the goal is to support their preclinical studies and advance their lead asset towards FIH trials,” Boons said.
“Our understanding of the role of glyco-immune responses in disease progression is rapidly increasing, providing insight into previously unknown or misunderstood cellular crosstalk. Working with CCRC, we will be at the forefront of developing new molecules that can modulate these interactions, providing profound therapeutic effects in a range of conditions underlined by inflammatory processes,” said Michael Tolentino, M.D., Chief Technology Officer.
CCRC has state-of-the-art analytical instruments including Mass Spec, NMR and Biacore which will provide critical support to the development and characterization of the poly saccharides developed through this collaboration.
Under this strategic alliance and partnership, CCRC will develop innovative synthesis approaches for small batches of poly- and oligo-saccharides conjugates. CCRC will also focus on novel process chemistries that can be scalable and eventually transferred to external CMOs for production of GLP/GMP.
About Aviceda Therapeutics
Founded in 2018 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Aviceda Therapeutics is a late-stage, pre-clinical biotechnology company with a mission to develop the next generation of glyco-immune therapeutics (GITs) utilizing a proprietary technology platform to modulate the innate immune system and chronic, non-resolving inflammation. Aviceda has assembled a world-class, cross-disciplinary team of recognized scientists, clinicians, and drug developers to tackle devastating ocular and systemic degenerative, immunologic, inflammatory diseases. At Aviceda, we exploit a unique family of receptors found expressed on all innate immune cells and their associated glycobiological interactions to develop transformative medicines. Combining the power of our biology with our innovative cell-based high-throughput screening platform and proprietary nanoparticle technology, we can modulate the innate immune response specifically and profoundly. Aviceda is developing a pipeline of GITs that are delivered via biodegradable nanoparticles and which safely and effectively target numerous immune-inflammatory conditions. Aviceda’s lead ophthalmic optimized nanoparticle, as an intravitreal formulation, AVD-104, is being developed to target various immune system responses that contribute to pathology associated with dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD) and Geographic Atrophy (GA).
About CCRC
The CCRC occupies an ~140,000 sq.ft. building specifically designed for the interdisciplinary and equipment-intensive nature of carbohydrate science. The Center is organized to optimize cooperation and collaboration among disciplines (biomedical glycoscience, plant and microbial glycoscience, synthetic and analytical chemistry), and to provide analytical services and training, both within the CCRC and to university, government, and industrial laboratories world-wide. CCRC faculty have research programs that span multiple research domains, which provides our students with a breadth of opportunities in their professional training and research. The mission of the CCRC is to advance research and training in the glycosciences – a branch of science that investigates the structure, biosynthesis, and biological functions of molecules that contain carbohydrates. These molecules include glycans (oligosaccharides and polysaccharides), which are composed entirely of sugars and glycoconjugates (glycosides, glycolipids, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans), which contain sugars attached to different types of molecules. Thus, basic research in microbial, plant, and animal glycosciences has relevance to agriculture, biotechnology, materials science, and medicine. The chemical synthesis group led by Geert-Jan Boons develops new and improved methods for synthesizing complex glycoconjugates including cancer, bacterial vaccines, and compounds to study innate immunity.
