PowderMed Limited
PowderMed is an immunotherapeutic product company located in Oxford, UK. We have six lead programmes targeting influenza, chronic viral diseases and cancer. These products are all based on our proprietary DNA particle mediated epidermal delivery (PMED™) technology. This technology has been extensively validated as a delivery technology in human trials.

History
PowderMed was founded in May 2004. Although a young company, PowderMed was launched with six mature clinical and preclinical programmes and a management team with many years experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Thus PowderMed combines the dynamism and entrepreneurship of a biotech startup with the professionalism and maturity of a long-established pharmaceutical company. In the first year of activity, PowderMed announced its first clinical results in the influenza programme and launched three further Phase I trials in its therapeutic vaccine programmes. PowderMed also has a subsidiary called PowderMed Vaccines Inc, a United States (U.S.) based commercial entity in Frederick, Maryland, alongside the important National Biodefense Analysis and Counterterrorist Countermeasures (NBACC) centre at Fort Detrick.

Immunotherapy
The introduction of widespread prophylactic vaccination in the latter part of the 20th century resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of over 20 infectious diseases, as well as the successful eradication of smallpox. Now, with an unprecedented explosion in our understanding of human immunology, it has become possible to harness the power of the immune system using DNA immunotherapeutics in treating disease as well as preventing it. These new Immunotherapeutic agents or “therapeutic vaccines” will exploit the immune system to provide therapeutic benefits that may be applicable to many chronic viral infections, cancers, allergies, neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune diseases and many other chronic disorders.

PowderMed has a prophylactic programme targeting influenza, and five immunotherapeutic programmes targeting chronic viral diseases and cancer.

• Influenza (Flu) prophylactic vaccine with significant advantages for Pandemic use.
  
• Genital Herpes (HSV).
  
• Chronic Hepatitis B (HBV).
  
• Genital Warts (HPV).
  
• Lung Cancer (NY-ESO-1) partnered with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
  
• AIDS (HIV) partnered with Glaxo SmithKline.

The PowderMed portfolio is summarised below:

DNA-particle mediated epidermal delivery (PMED)
PowderMed’s immunotherapeutic products are delivered using its proprietary DNA-particle mediated epidermal delivery (PMED) technology. PMED delivers therapeutic DNA vaccines into the skin without needles in a dry powder formulation of microscopic particles. These microscopic particles are accelerated to high speed by helium gas in the handheld PMED device and propelled into the epidermal layer of the skin. This needle-free delivery mechanism is ideally suited to the delivery of DNA vaccines as the epidermis, the outer layer of skin, contains a powerful network of immune cells acting as the body’s primary barrier against infection.

Research has demonstrated that this mode of delivery significantly enhances the immune response to immunotherapy. In fact, clinical studies have demonstrated a robust cell mediated immune response at doses as little as one-throusandth of the dose needed for the same response with intramuscular injection. This, and the fact that DNA coated particles are dry and stable at ambient room temperature, mean that there are considerable economic and safety advantages to using PMED.

The PMED technology is also available for companies wishing to partner with PowderMed to optimise their antigens and epitopes in creating new therapeutic vaccines “powered by PMED”.

Business development >