Lamellar Biomedical Launches Program Designed to Prevent the Severe Respiratory Effects of COVID-19, Using its Unique LAMELLASOME™ Technology

GLASGOW, Scotland, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lamellar Biomedical Limited (Lamellar), an innovative biotechnology company pioneering new approaches to address respiratory diseases and complex lung disorders with its LAMELLASOME™ platform, announces the launch of a program to address the potentially fatal consequences of COVID-19 on respiratory function.

A LAMELLASOME™ nebulised treatment used at the early stages of COVID-19, in hospital or the community, could reduce the damaging and often fatal inflammatory response known as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) seen in patients. This early intervention has the potential to inhibit fibroproliferative changes during ARDS, markedly reducing severity, mortality and lowering the significant burden placed on the healthcare system.

The time between onset of symptoms of SARS-CoV2 infection and progression to more severe clinical manifestations of COVID-19 such as viral pneumonia and ARDS, is thought to be between 5 – 8 days. Inhaled LAMELLASOME™ treatment administered during this period has the potential to halt or reduce the severity of the disease progression of COVID-19 patients to requiring scarce critical care resource.

Lamellar has strong pre-clinical evidence of inhaled LAMELLASOME™'s protective nature. In a large animal in‑vivo model of radiation-induced lung injury, designed to replicate the pathology found in the injured lung, which is representative of COVID-19 patient pathology, inhaled LAMELLASOME™ treatment protected lung cells and tissues from injury, pneumonitis and fibroproliferation/fibrosis at the alveolar/capillary membrane.

Dr Duncan Moore, Chairman of Lamellar, said: "In the past few weeks we have seen the terrible consequences COVID-19 can have on the respiratory function, particularly on vulnerable patient populations. We believe that that the inherent attributes of LAMELLASOME™ are extremely well suited to be a potential approach to preventing the onset of the serious respiratory symptoms seen in COVID-19 patients. Lamellar is focused on treating complex lung disorders and we believe that our Lamellasome formulations could make an important difference to patients and healthcare providers globally."

Dr Nik Hirani, Reader in Respiratory Medicine and Associate Medical Director in Lothian and Former chair of NICE Thoracic Interstitial Lung Disease guideline committee, said: "Lamellar has very convincing data demonstrating strong in-vivo efficacy for Lamellasome formulations in a model relevant to pneumonitis, lung injury and ARDS. I have been following the development of LAMELLASOME™ technology and its development as a respiratory therapeutic over the past few years, and I believe it has real potential to manage the inflammatory respiratory symptoms seen in patients infected with SARS-CoV2."

About Lamellar Biomedical

Lamellar Biomedical Limited (Lamellar), is an innovative biotechnology company, developing our proprietary LAMELLASOME™ based therapies to transform the treatment of complex and rare lung disorders.

Lamellar's lead products are:

• Lamellasome COVID-19 therapy: early intervention therapy to reduce the inflammatory response seen in COVID-19 patients, with the potential to reduce both disease severity and mortality. Lamellasome modifies the actions of a number of key proinflammatory and profibrotic mediators, including TGF-β, preventing fibroblast to myofibroblast transition.
• IPF-Lamellasome: abates pulmonary fibrosis by reducing both myofibroblasts and collagen production. IPF-Lamellasome has the potential to become the first line therapy and the new standard of care in the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) IPF
• Muco-ease: increases the fluidity of thickened human mucus and may slow disease progression in mild and moderate Cystic Fibrosis (CF) by improving mucociliary clearance

In addition, LAMELLASOME™ technology can be designed to deliver active payloads such as gene therapies, or by utilising intrinsic anti-infective properties which can enhance antibiotics.

Founded in 2007, Lamellar is backed by both institutional and private investors, including Invesco, Scottish Enterprise, Barwell Plc, TRI Capital and has multiple research collaborations with world renowned institutions and universities.

About LAMELLASOME™ Technology

LAMELLASOME™ vesicles are synthetic lipidic mimetics of native human lamellar bodies found in lung tissue.  These properties provide low immunogenicity and excellent safety, LAMELLASOME™ vesicles have been shown to have inherent pulmonary protective effects. LAMELLASOME therapies are based on LAMELLASOME's abilities to:

• Reduce inflammatory responses in pulmonary tissue
• Interrupt the onset and progression of pneumonitis, lung injury and fibrogenesis
• Modulate tissue surface tension, moisture retention and lubrication

LAMELLASOME formulations have excellent preclinical safety, a very high NOAEL (taken from inhalation toxicology) and excellent clinical safety and tolerability profile. 

LAMELLASOME™ therapeutics are synthetically formulated. As such, they do not require harvesting or human extraction, and they can be manufactured using standard, scalable industry processes and components that facilitate commercially competitive COGS. They can also be optimised to deliver active payloads such as gene therapies and anti-infectives.

For further information, please contact:

Lamellar Biomedical
Steven Porteous
info@lamellar.com   
+44-(0)-1698-748-832
+44-(0)-1698-532-163

Citigate Dewe Rogerson
David Dible/Nathaniel Dahan
david.dible@citigatedewerogerson.com