WPD Pharmaceuticals’ New Discovery for Cancer Targeting Drugs is Granted Patent


WPD Pharmaceuticals recently announced  Wake Forest University received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for patent 105019210 (issued under application number 16/262,195v) licensed to WPD. The patent is in respect to a protein critical in the development of Th2 immune responses, which are associated with allergy, asthma, fibrosis, and aggressive forms of cancer.

IL-13 proteins were shown to be important factors in eliminating tumor cells related to various forms of cancer. Recombinant IL-13 protein armed with potent bacteria toxins preferentially bind to tumor-specific receptors and selectively deliver highly cytotoxic payload to tumor cells. This highly specific targeting of aggressive brain tumor glioblastoma (GBM) and other tumor cells is designed to allow for selective elimination of tumor cells by bacteria-toxins-induced cytotoxic effects without affecting normal cells. IL-13 protein can also assist in the survival and the development of tumor-associated immune cells, which could be beneficial for individuals with autoimmune diseases and forms of cancer associated with Th2 immune responses.

Mariusz Olejniczak, CEO of WPD, said, “WPD continues to develop its robust drug portfolio, and the patent granted for our cancer targeting IL-13 proteins strongly protects our IP as we advance development of our brain cancer focused therapeutic program. We will continue to work closely with Wake Forest University on the IL-13 and Ephrine technology platforms to rapidly advance our current pre-clinical studies.”

WPD is a biotechnology research and development company with a focus on oncology, namely research and development of medicinal products involving biological compounds and small molecules. WPD has 8 novel drug candidates with 4 that are in clinical development stage and 4 in preclinical development. These drug candidates were researched at institutions including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic and Emory University, and WPD currently has ongoing collaborations with Wake Forest University and leading hospitals and academic centers in Poland.

WPD has entered into license agreements with Wake Forest University Health Sciences and sublicense agreements with Moleculin Biotech Inc. and CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., respectively, each of which grant WPD an exclusive, royalty-bearing sublicense to certain technologies of the licensor. Such agreements provide WPD with certain research, development, manufacturing and sales rights, among other things.