12
February 2025
PureTech
Health plc
PureTech Founded Entity
Seaport Therapeutics Announces the Publication of New Research
Demonstrating Increased Lymphatic Transport with up to 55 Percent
Drug Absorption via Lymphatics with GlyphTM
Platform
Published data shows new
site of Glyph prodrug attachment demonstrated highest reported
level of lymphatic transport to date of the studied
immunomodulatory drug
New linkers display up to
two-fold higher release in lymph nodes compared to top-performing
previously reported linkers
Research builds on prior
evidence supporting the versatility of Glyph
platform
PureTech Health plc
(Nasdaq: PRTC, LSE: PRTC) ("PureTech" or the
"Company"), a clinical-stage
biotherapeutics company, noted that its Founded Entity,
Seaport
Therapeutics, ("Seaport")
a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is
advancing novel neuropsychiatric medicines with a proven strategy
and team, today announced the publication
of new data showcasing the GlyphTM platform's unique
ability to enhance drug transport through the lymphatic system for
increased therapeutic exposure. The paper, published in
Molecular
Pharmaceutics, is the first to show the
impact of changing the drug attachment point of a lymph-directed
prodrug on lymphatic drug transport and targeted drug exposure. It
also deepens the evidence supporting Glyph's ability to render a
wide variety of molecules, including immunomodulators, more
amenable to lymphatic transport and thus providing them with direct
access to the immune system.
The full text of the announcement
from Seaport is as follows:
Seaport Therapeutics
Announces the Publication of New Research Demonstrating Increased
Lymphatic Transport with up to 55 Percent Drug Absorption via
Lymphatics with GlyphTM Platform
Published data shows new
site of Glyph prodrug attachment demonstrated highest reported
level of lymphatic transport to date of the studied
immunomodulatory drug
New linkers display up to
two-fold higher release in lymph nodes compared to top-performing
previously reported linkers
Research builds on prior
evidence supporting the versatility of Glyph
platform
BOSTON, February 12, 2025 Ð Seaport
Therapeutics ("Seaport" or the
"Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is
advancing novel neuropsychiatric medicines with a proven strategy
and team, today announced the publication of new data showcasing
the GlyphTM platform's unique ability to enhance drug
transport through the lymphatic system for increased therapeutic
exposure. The paper, published in Molecular
Pharmaceutics, is the first to show the
impact of changing the drug attachment point of a lymph-directed
prodrug on lymphatic drug transport and targeted drug exposure. It
also deepens the evidence supporting Glyph's ability to render a
wide variety of molecules, including immunomodulators, more
amenable to lymphatic transport and thus providing them with direct
access to the immune system.
The study evaluated ways of
modifying mycophenolic acid (MPA), an immunomodulatory drug, to
improve its absorption through the lymphatic system, and increase
its concentration in lymph nodes, shown in preclinical models.
Specifically, a comparison between distinct attachment points on
the same drug molecule was made. A newly examined phenol attachment
point showed the highest lymphatic transport of MPA reported to
date - approximately 55 percent - and up to two-fold higher release
in lymph nodes compared to the previously reported acid attachment
point. The research demonstrated the impact of linker
characteristics on the extent of lymphatic transport and release in
the lymph nodes. Overall, these results help to underscore the
benefits of a tailored lymphatic-targeting prodrug design
approach.
"This research expands our
understanding of lymphatic delivery and offers new insights for
more effectively designing drugs with higher exposures at their
intended targets, including immunomodulatory drugs used to treat a
wide range of diseases," said Christopher Porter, Ph.D., an
original Co-inventor of the Glyph technology and Director of the
Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University in
Melbourne. "This study highlights the importance of integrating a
careful and individualized balance of intestinal stability,
transport efficiency and release in the mesenteric lymph nodes to
maximize therapeutic exposures as part of a tailored prodrug design
approach."
With the Glyph platform, drugs are
absorbed like dietary fats through the intestinal lymphatic system
and transported into circulation. The Glyph platform has the
potential to be widely applied to many therapeutic molecules that
have high first-pass metabolism leading to low bioavailability
and/or side effects, including liver enzyme elevations or
hepatotoxicity. Seaport exclusively licensed this technology from
Monash University based on the pioneering research of the Porter
Research Group, including co-inventors Professor Porter and Jamie
Simpson, Ph.D., who is now Head of Chemistry at Seaport
Therapeutics.
"Our Glyph platform allows for a
bespoke design approach, and this research reinforces the
significance of the innovation behind our prodrug chemistry
technology," said Daniel Bonner, Ph.D., Co-founder, Senior Vice
President, Platform, at Seaport Therapeutics. "Most importantly,
Glyph has been clinically validated with demonstrated
proof-of-concept data in humans and is being applied across
Seaport's pipeline of novel neuropsychiatric medicines, with
enormous potential across a broad range of applications beyond CNS
and neuropsychiatry."
About the GlyphTM Platform
GlyphTM is Seaport's
proprietary technology platform which uses the lymphatic system to
enable and enhance the oral administration of drugs. With the Glyph
platform, drugs are absorbed like dietary fats through the
intestinal lymphatic system and transported into circulation. The
Glyph platform has the potential to be widely applied to many
therapeutic molecules that have high first-pass metabolism leading
to low bioavailability and/or side effects, including liver enzyme
elevations or hepatotoxicity. Seaport exclusively licensed this
technology from Monash University based on the pioneering research
of the Porter Research Group. Advanced initially at PureTech Health
and now at Seaport, Glyph has been applied to create therapeutic
candidates for the Company's pipeline resulting in new intellectual
property, including composition of matter. The group and its
collaborators have published research in Nature
Metabolism, Frontiers in
Pharmacology,
Journal of Controlled Release and Molecular
Pharmaceutics supporting the Glyph
platformÕs capabilities. See Glyph in
action here.
About Seaport Therapeutics
Seaport Therapeutics is a
clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing the development
of novel neuropsychiatric medicines in areas of high unmet patient
needs. The Company has a proven strategy of advancing clinically
validated mechanisms previously held back by limitations that are
overcome with its proprietary GlyphTM technology
platform. All the therapeutic candidates in its pipeline of first
and best-in-class medicines are based on the Glyph platform, which
is uniquely designed to enable oral bioavailability, bypass
first-pass metabolism and reduce liver enzyme elevations or
hepatotoxicity and other side effects. Seaport is led by an
experienced team that invented and advanced important
neuropsychiatric medicines and are guided by an extensive network
of renowned scientists, clinicians and key opinion leaders. For
more information, please visit www.seaporttx.com.
About PureTech Health
PureTech is a clinical-stage
biotherapeutics company dedicated to giving life to new classes of
medicine to change the lives of patients with devastating diseases.
The Company has created a broad and deep pipeline through its
experienced research and development team and its extensive network
of scientists, clinicians and industry leaders that is being
advanced both internally and through its Founded Entities.
PureTech's R&D engine has resulted in the development of 29
therapeutics and therapeutic candidates, including three that have
been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A number of
these programs are being advanced by PureTech or its Founded
Entities in various indications and stages of clinical development,
including registration enabling studies. All of the underlying
programs and platforms that resulted in this pipeline of
therapeutic candidates were initially identified or discovered and
then advanced by the PureTech team through key validation
points.
For more information, visit
www.puretechhealth.com
or connect with us on X (formerly Twitter)
@puretechh.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains
statements that are or may be forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
All statements contained in this press release that do not relate
to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking
statements, including without limitation
those related to SeaportÕs development
plans for its pipeline of neuropsychiatric therapeutics based on
the Glyph Platform, the applicability of the platform beyond
neuropsychiatry, potential benefits to patients, and Seaport's and
our future prospects, developments and
strategies. The
forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and
are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
important factors that could cause actual results, performance and
achievements to differ materially from current expectations,
including, but not limited to, those risks, uncertainties and other
important factors described under the caption "Risk Factors" in our
Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023,
filed with the SEC and in our other regulatory filings. These
forward-looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the
present and future business strategies of the Company and the
environment in which it will operate in the future. Each
forward-looking statement speaks only as at the date of this press
release. Except as required by law and regulatory requirements, we
disclaim any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise.
Contact:
PureTech
Public Relations
publicrelations@puretechhealth.com
Investor Relations
IR@puretechhealth.com
UK/EU Media
Ben Atwell, Rob Winder
+44 (0) 20 3727 1000
puretech@fticonsulting.com
US
Media
Justin Chen
+1 609 578 7230
justin@tenbridgecommunications.com