Q Chip successfully reports preclinical studies with therapeutic cancer peptides

25-Feb-2011 - United Kingdom

Q Chip Ltd announced it has successfully completed preclinical studies with formulations of two leading therapeutic cancer peptides.  The peptides, Q-leuprolide and Q-octreotide for prostate cancer and acromegaly respectively, were formulated using Q Chip’s innovative drug delivery platform, Q-SpheraTM.

The Q-SpheraTM platform enables the development of long acting injectable therapeutics with tailored release profiles and improved administration. It offers the potential for pharmaceutical companies to extend product life cycles and find the best ways to deliver novel complex biotherapeutics.

The preclinical results demonstrated sustained release of Q-Leuprolide over both one and three months, and Q-Octreotide over one month.  Q Chip plans to advance its one month Q-Leuprolide formulation into clinical studies towards the end of this year. 

Results from the study showed that Q Chip’s platforms permit high levels of drug loading at high encapsulation efficiency in monodisperse microspheres, with controllable burst release after injection and near zero order release kinetics over the test period. Excellent correlations between in vitro and in vivo release profiles were observed.

Q Chip’s Executive Chairman Ken Powell said “These studies demonstrate the potential we have for improving the way therapeutic peptides and proteins are encapsulated for delivery in sustained release formulations. We have successfully engineered out of the microsphere manufacturing process the use of harsh solvents, high temperature and shearing forces. We are solving formulation problems at exactly the time that the pharmaceutical industry is moving towards the development of complex biotherapies and is looking to create biosimilars and biobetters. These drugs often have short half lives after injection and require benign methods of encapsulation such as ours if they are to be delivered successfully in sustained release formats.”

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