MucoLife Therapeutics secures €91K from Vinnova to scale COPD peptide synthesis

Swedish startup MucoLife Therapeutics has received a grant of €91,000 (1 million Swedish kronor) from Sweden’s innovation agency Vinnova, Tech.eu reported tech.euTech.eutech.euOpen source ↗. The financing was allocated under the program supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in utilizing life science infrastructure.

Targeted airway therapy

The funding will support the establishment of a scalable production process for MLT-001, a preclinical inhaled peptide tech.euTech.eutech.euOpen source ↗. The molecule is designed to directly dissolve airway mucus plugs in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) tech.euTech.eutech.euOpen source ↗. According to clinical statistics cited by the developers, mucus plugging affects more than half of patients with moderate-to-severe forms of the disease, while no approved direct therapies currently exist tech.euTech.eutech.euOpen source ↗. Such airway obstructions correlate with accelerated declines in lung function, frequent exacerbations, and higher mortality rates.

Preparations for GMP production

Preliminary work confirmed that the chemical synthesis of MLT-001 is technically scalable tech.euTech.eutech.euOpen source ↗. The team will conduct the engineering scale-up alongside an unnamed contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) partner tech.euTech.eutech.euOpen source ↗.

The technical collaboration aims to achieve high purity levels alongside documented yield metrics, as well as compile a transferable process description tech.euTech.eutech.euOpen source ↗. According to chief executive officer Thaher Pelaseyed, developing this purification and control strategy serves as the foundation for future Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) operations ahead of clinical trials tech.euTech.eutech.euOpen source ↗.