The Washington Entrepreneurial Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (WE-REACH) is pleased to announce a product concept award for Dr. Anindya Roy and his team at the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design, including Drs. Jake Kraft and Hua Bai. They are developing a novel binder protein in an aerosolized delivery system to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a chronic respiratory disease with no cure that produces scarring in lungs leading to breathlessness, fatigue, and heart failure. The search for an effective IPF treatment is a top NIH priority.
WE-REACH’s support will enable Roy and his team to produce a stable nebulized inhalable product amenable for human administration that will neutralize a key mediator called αvβ6. Early toxicology studies in larger rodents will provide safety information necessary for regulatory filing. Roy’s team is combining WE-REACH’s funding with support from the Washington Research Foundation (WRF) to test the safety and efficacy of the protein binder in an aerosolized dosage form. The team plans to leverage this support to spin out from the University of Washington and commercialize their product so that they can improve the lives of those suffering from IPF.
