Business
Helix BioPharma signs L-DOS47 manufacturing agreement with QSV Biologics
Helix BioPharma signs L-DOS47 manufacturing agreement with QSV Biologics.
About this update from Helix Biopharma Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\n\n\nAURORA, ON, Dec. 19 /CNW/ - Helix BioPharma Corp. (Helix; TSX,\nFSE: \"HBP\") today announced that it has signed an agreement with Edmonton,\nAlberta-based QSV Biologics (QSV) to develop the cGMP manufacturing process\nfor L-DOS47.\n\"The signing of this agreement with QSV is a major step in the L-DOS47\nprogram,\" said Dr. Donald Segal, President and CEO of Helix. \"We believe QSV's\nhigh calibre personnel and facilities for biopharmaceutical manufacturing will\naccelerate the cGMP production of L-DOS47 for our upcoming preclinical and\nhuman clinical studies.\"\n\"Helix is one of a select few biotech firms whose experienced management\nteam have successfully taken products to market,\" said Dr. Graeme Macaloney,\nQSV President & CEO. \"The combination of a top class management team and the\npotential of L-DOS47 is expected to make Helix an excellent client and partner\nfor QSV.\"\n\nAbout L-DOS47\n\nL-DOS47 combines Helix's proprietary DOS47 new drug candidate with a\nhighly specific antibody, to form a potential new targeted drug product for\nthe treatment of adenocarcinoma of the lung, the most common form of cancer in\nthe world today. L-DOS47 is thought to function by leveraging a natural\nprocess in the body called the urea cycle, to produce an anti-cancer effect.\nIt is based upon a naturally occurring enzyme called urease that essentially\nreverses the urea cycle by breaking down urea into metabolites that include\nammonia and hydroxyl ions. By doing so at the site of cancerous tissues in the\nbody, L-DOS47 is believed to modify the microenvironmental conditions of lung\ncancer cells in a manner that leads to their death. Among these theorized\neffects, L-DOS47 is believed to stimulate an increase in the pH of the\nmicroenvironment surrounding the cancerous cells, effectively reversing the\nacidic extra-cellular conditions that are known to be necessary for cancer\ncell survival. As well, the local production of ammonia at the site of\ncancerous tissues is thought to readily diffuse into the cancer cells to exert\na potent cytotoxic effect by interfering with their critical metabolic\nfunctions.\n\nAbout QSV Biologics Ltd.\n\nQSV is a privately held contract manufacturing organization (CMO), highly\nspecialized in the cGMP manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals. As a dedicated\ncontract manufacturer, QSV offe...