The National Research Council of Canada provides the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for the next phase of preclinical studies
BURLINGTON, Ontario - June 23, 2021- Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp. (“RDT” or the “Company”) (CSE: DOSE) and McMaster University (“McMaster”) are pleased to announce that they have entered into the next stage of their collaborative research into an orally delivered COVID-19 vaccine candidate leveraging RDT’s QuickStrip[tm] technology as a result of the successful completion of the project’s initial stage.
The first stage was initiated on July 21, 2020 by the McMaster University research team led by Dr. Alex Adronov, PhD, polymer expert. The study demonstrated that the RDT QuickStrip technology is effective at delivering proteins through the buccal or sublingual route (strip placed on the inside of the cheek or under the tongue) to elicit an immune response, suggesting that it could be an ideal candidate for oral vaccine delivery. In addition, the McMaster University team found that the proteins incorporated within the QuickStrip remained stable at 40 degrees Celsius thus precluding the need for refrigeration.
“These preclinical results, combined with the data analyzed to date, support the promise of the QuickStrip technology in the delivery of therapeutics, including vaccines to potentially protect against SARS-CoV-2,” said Dr. Mark Larché, PhD, McMaster University and head immunologist on the project.
Dr. Adronov, team leader for the investigation adds, “With these positive results we are moving quickly into stage two of the investigation and expect that this research will lead to new technologies in vaccine delivery in the future.”
The National Research Council of Canada has provided an initial supply of the SARS- CoV-2 spike protein for the McMaster Research team to infuse into the QuickStrip for stage two of the project, which aims to deliver the spike protein via oral mucosae in animal models with the objective of generating an immune response.
Mark Upsdell, CEO, Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp. comments: “It has been our goal to perfect the development of a robust, convenient and easily administered delivery system for vaccines worldwide and are so pleased that our partnership with the team at McMaster University is continuing.”
“With the National Research Council’s spike protein we are able to significantly accelerate our timelines into the second stage of this timely and relevant research related to vaccines for COVID-19. The provision of spike protein is so important since the spike protein itself provides the defense against COVID-19, thus the expected successful delivery of the spike protein on our QuickStrip is a potential COVID-19 vaccine in itself. We expect to have preliminary results from this stage two development work within a few months, which will lead us to seek partners in the commercialization of the research,” added Mr. Upsdell.
The results of this investigation could be a game changer in the global delivery of vaccines for COVID-19 and other diseases.
“The vast majority of the world struggles with obtaining and distributing needle-based therapies, which we are witnessing in real time with the currently-available COVID-19 vaccines,” said Jason Lewis, SVP, Rapid Dose Therapeutics Crop. “Cold-chain storage and transportation requirements, the need for highly trained personnel for administration, the cost of procurement and delivery of vials and syringes, not to mention the very real human fear of needles, can result in prolonged duration of a pandemic. A shelf-stable, individually-administered, orally-delivered vaccine would alleviate many of these challenges.”
The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the Covid-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time”
About Rapid Dose Therapeutics Corp.
Rapid Dose Therapeutics (RDT) is a Canadian Life Science company focused on innovative drug and active ingredient delivery solutions. The flagship product ‘QuickStrip™’ is a thin, orally dissolvable film, infused with active ingredients that are delivered quickly into the bloodstream bypassing first-pass metabolism resulting in rapid onset of the active ingredient.
For more information, visit: www.rapiddose.ca
Mark Upsdell, CEO
mupsdell@rapid-dose.com
416-477-1052
Pat McCarthy
Managing Director Capital Markets
pmccarthy@leedejonesgable.com
416-365-8012
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