Algorae Pharmaceuticals partners with Monash University to expand cardiovascular drug development

Algorae Pharmaceuticals (ASX: 1AI) is featuring in another high-profile collaboration with its plans to develop a range of novel treatments for medical conditions with unmet medical needs.

The company, which recently entered into partnerships with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and University of New South Wales (UNSW) to help investigate some of its leading development candidates, has now executed a research agreement with Monash University.

Algorae and Monash will undertake an extensive range of pre-clinical studies to further examine the company’s cannabinoid-based combination drug AI-168 in various cardiovascular models.

State-of-the-art experimental techniques

For its part, Monash has agreed to employ a suite of state-of-the-art experimental techniques, which are expected to provide an understanding of the mechanism of action of AI-168 across a range of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

The study will also include comparing existing classes of drugs used to treat CVDs with the pre-clinical efficacy of AI-168.

Dr Kristen Bubb, a senior research fellow at the Victorian Heart Institute at Monash University, will lead the pre-clinical studies.

Dr Bubb holds a PhD in Physiology and leads the translational vascular therapeutics group, co-located in the department of physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Victorian Heart Institute research labs in the Victorian Heart Hospital.

Results from the studies are anticipated to be provided in multiple deliverable time frames over a period of approximately 12 months and will guide the next steps in the research and development (R&D) program for AI-168.

Worldwide impact of cardiovascular diseases

CVDs encompass a range of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels.

They are the leading worldwide cause of death, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives every year – representing 32% of all global deaths.

According to the Australian government, an estimated 9.1% of total allocated expenditure in the Australian health system ($12.7 billion) has been attributed to CVDs.

The potential market for new drugs targeting CVDs is substantial. It is predicted that as the global population continues to age and lifestyles contribute to an increase in risk factors such as obesity and diabetes, the demand for effective cardiovascular medications will continue to rise.

Market potential is also influenced by the evolving landscape of healthcare policies and insurance coverage, as well as the increasing awareness and education among patients regarding the importance of managing cardiovascular health.

Patent application lodged

Algorae has filed a provisional patent application over AI-168. That filing marked the commencement of a third R&D project for Algorae.

Recently, the company commenced development of an artificial intelligence (AI) drug discovery platform in partnership with the AI Institute at UNSW and with funding from CSIRO.

AlgoraeOS will build upon an AI model already trained and developed by data specialists within UNSW, expanding on critical foundational architecture that is required to leverage the power of these technologies within the context of drug discovery.

The development of AlgoraeOS is led by associate professor Fatemeh Vafaee, a renowned scientist in computational biomedicine with over a decade of experience in AI-integrated translational medicine and drug discovery through close partnerships with industry and governmental stakeholders.

The first commercial version of AlgoraeOS is expected to be operational within 6 to 9 months and will have predictive capabilities over all pharmaceutical drugs and therapeutic molecules of interest.

The predictive capabilities of the platform will also be used to help optimise Algorae’s existing pipeline of projects and generate new therapeutic targets.