Amacathera Collaborates With Leading Global Pharmaceutical Company To Develop Single-Injection, Long-Acting Biologic Using Its Advanced Hydrogel Delivery Platform, Amacagel™
TORONTO, April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AmacaThera, a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in drug delivery, announced a new pipeline program in collaboration with a leading global pharmaceutical company. Through this partnership, a single-injection, long-acting biologic will be developed using AmacaThera's advanced hydrogel delivery platform, AmacaGel™, in combination with the partner's therapeutic. Co-funded by both organizations, the initiative will leverage their complementary strengths and resources to accelerate the development of this innovative biologic.
"We are thrilled to collaborate on this promising venture," said Molly Shoichet, Chief Scientific Officer at AmacaThera. "This partnership allows us to utilize AmacaThera's deep expertise in delivery to achieve success with novel biologics. Our core technology has been rigorously tested at AmacaThera and the University of Toronto with a wide range of therapeutics - including small molecules, biologics and stem cells."
This announcement follows the recent release of Phase 1 data from AmacaThera's successful first-in-human study, which evaluated AmacaGel™ in combination with an anesthetic. The study generated valuable human data on both the core platform and its integration with a therapeutic payload.
Mike Cooke, Chief Executive Officer at AmacaThera, stated, "This collaboration builds on our manufacturing know-how and human data collected from our hydrogel platform, enabling us to rapidly develop effective solutions to injectable delivery challenges." He added, "Hydrogels have been widely researched, but what sets our platform apart is its broad compatibility with drug modalities, its simple, scalable and cost-effective manufacturing process, and its real-world human data."
The partnership was facilitated by CQDM's Connect-Pharma series, which provides Canadian companies and academics the opportunity to connect with representatives from CQDM's global pharmaceutical members. CQDM is an organization dedicated to fostering innovation and collaboration within the biopharmaceutical sector. Raphael Hofstein, CQDM Board Member, shared, "We have seen AmacaThera's technology progress from the laboratory to human trials, and this collaboration underscores industry's strong confidence in the AmacaThera platform." Mark Steedman, Senior Business Development Director at CQDM said, "We are excited to have brought this collaboration together, and believe that due to the de-risked nature of the AmacaThera technology this project can advance rapidly and generate valuable data in a short period of time."
About AmacaThera
AmacaThera is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advanced sustained-release hydrogel formulations designed to address critical challenges in therapeutic drug delivery. The Company's flagship platform, AmacaGel™, enables the development of long-acting therapies that enhance patient outcomes while minimizing systemic side effects. AmacaThera is driving innovation in key therapeutic areas, including pain management and oncology.
AmacaThera's proprietary AmacaGel™ platform is a fast-gelling physical hydrogel composed of two well-established polymers. Designed to liquefy under shear force, AmacaGel can be delivered via a conventional syringe and rapidly forms a depot as it warms to body temperature. The platform's lead asset, AMT-143, is a slow-release, non-opioid local anesthetic that leverages the AmacaGelTM technology to provide long-acting post-operative pain relief.
For more information, consult our website www.amacathera.com
About CQDM
CQDM is a not-for-profit biopharmaceutical research consortium whose mission is to support and facilitate multi-stakeholder collaborative R&D aimed at accelerating the translation of innovative technologies by the biopharma industry into solutions that address unmet medical needs, while generating significant benefits for the Quebec and Canadian economy. For more information, please visit our website: www.cqdm.org and join us on Twitter/X @CQDM_Canada and LinkedIn
For further information: CQDM, Jesse Paterson, Senior Business Development Director, jpaterson@cqdm.org; AmacaThera Inc., Mike Cooke, Chief Executive Officer, info@amacathera.ca
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