Helix BioPharma Signs L-DOS47 Manufacturing Agreement With QSV Biologics

Auora, ON - Helix BioPharma Corp. recently announced that it has signed an agreement with Edmonton, Alberta-based QSV Biologics (QSV) to develop the cGMP manufacturing process for L-DOS47.

"The signing of this agreement with QSV is a major step in the L-DOS47 program," said Dr. Donald Segal, President and CEO of Helix. "We believe QSV's high calibre personnel and facilities for biopharmaceutical manufacturing will accelerate the cGMP production of L-DOS47 for our upcoming preclinical and human clinical studies."

"Helix is one of a select few biotech firms whose experienced management team have successfully taken products to market," said Dr. Graeme Macaloney, QSV President & CEO. "The combination of a top class management team and the potential of L-DOS47 is expected to make Helix an excellent client and partner for QSV."

About L-DOS47

L-DOS47 combines Helix's proprietary DOS47 new drug candidate with a highly specific antibody, to form a potential new targeted drug product for the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the lung, the most common form of cancer in the world today. L-DOS47 is thought to function by leveraging a natural process in the body called the urea cycle, to produce an anti-cancer effect. It is based upon a naturally occurring enzyme called urease that essentially reverses the urea cycle by breaking down urea into metabolites that include ammonia and hydroxyl ions. By doing so at the site of cancerous tissues in the body, L-DOS47 is believed to modify the microenvironmental conditions of lung cancer cells in a manner that leads to their death. Among these theorized effects, L-DOS47 is believed to stimulate an increase in the pH of the microenvironment surrounding the cancerous cells, effectively reversing the acidic extra-cellular conditions that are known to be necessary for cancer cell survival. As well, the local production of ammonia at the site of cancerous tissues is thought to readily diffuse into the cancer cells to exert a potent cytotoxic effect by interfering with their critical metabolic functions.

Source: Helix BioPharma Corp.