Unmet Need / Invention Novelty: The need for long-acting HIV drugs arises from challenges such as pill burden, side effects, and stigma, which contribute to inconsistent use and reduced effectiveness. A long-acting antiretroviral formulation could enhance treatment adherence, reduce disease transmission, and better support populations facing barriers to daily medication, thereby making a significant impact on public health and addressing drug resistance.
Technical Details: Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed self-assembling antiretroviral prodrugs for HIV prevention and treatment. These peptide-based drug amphiphiles form injectable hydrogels enabling controlled drug release for sustained systemic distribution. Evaluation in vivo using a mouse model confirmed hydrogel local retention and biodistribution/pharmacokinetics of these amphiphiles. Importantly, the delivery system is completely aqueous, involving no organic cosolvents or excipients. This advancement aims to enhance treatment outcomes by improving targeted delivery, reducing toxicity, and extending dosing intervals, thereby promoting better patient adherence.
Value Proposition:
· Unique approach in antiretroviral therapy uses self-assembling peptide-based drug amphiphiles to form supramolecular structures
· Maintains consistent therapeutic levels through sustained and controlled drug release via injectable hydrogels
· Improves delivery to infected cells by using modifiable peptide sequences that specifically target immune cells
· Aqueous delivery system avoids the use of organic cosolvents and excipients
Looking for Partners to: Develop & commercialize the technology as a long-acting therapeutic for HIV treatment and prevention, seeking partners with strong pharmaceutical development and distribution capabilities.
Stage of Development: In vitro and in vivo experiments have confirmed hydrogel formation and local retention, amphiphile release, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution. The researchers are currently enhancing the hydrogel system to improve sustained release, deliver hydrophobic HIV antiretroviral agents, and target HIV-infected cells more effectively.
Data Availability: In vitro and in vivo data available in the publications listed below.
Inventors: Honggang Cui, PhD, Charles Flexner, MD, Maya Monroe, PhD, Han Wang
Patent Status: Patent Issued - https://patents.google.com/patent/US11998609B2/en
Publication(s):
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c05645
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2BM01649D
