Pneuma Respiratory and Leads Biolabs Announce Collaboration to Explore Digital Inhaler Delivery of Immuno-Oncology Antibodies

VCBeat News (WeChat ID: biobeat1) has learned that, according to a PR Newswire report dated May 14, 2019, from Boone, North Carolina, Pneuma Respiratory, Inc., developer of the first patent-protected Breath-Actuated Digital Inhaler (BDI), and Nanjing Leadsbiolabs Co., Ltd. jointly announced an agreement under which Leadsbiolabs grants Pneuma an exclusive license to utilize its proprietary pulmonary delivery technology platform for the development of Leadsbiolabs’ oncology immunotherapy monoclonal antibodies and fusion protein molecules. This agreement enables the use of Pneuma’s digital inhaler to deliver Leadsbiolabs’ oncology immunotherapy antibodies, unlocking untapped potential in the treatment of tumors or immune-mediated pulmonary diseases.

In a recently published report, Pneuma announced the completion of a study demonstrating the feasibility of delivering antibodies to the lungs via its digital inhaler platform. Conducted in animal models, the study showed that the Pneuma digital inhaler platform can provide an effective method for pulmonary delivery of monoclonal antibody therapies, thereby enabling targeted treatment of tumors or immune-mediated lung diseases.

“This collaboration represents an exciting development in the field of immuno-oncology,” said Ronald Bukowski, M.D., Physician Emeritus at Cleveland Clinic Foundation. “The use of novel local delivery methods for immune checkpoint inhibitors may provide new therapeutic opportunities for patients with various malignancies.”

Pneuma CEO and Co-Founder Eric Hunter stated, “We are pleased to have reached a licensing agreement for Leads Biolabs’ monoclonal antibody portfolio. We look forward to collaborating with their team on research that could positively transform future treatments for non-small cell lung cancer.”

Dr. Kang Xiaoqiang, Chairman and CEO of Leads Biolabs, stated, “We are delighted to enter into this licensing agreement with Pneuma. The commitment from an international leader in digital pulmonary drug delivery technology serves as a recognition of the value of our product portfolio. We believe that combining Pneuma’s digital inhaler technology with our antibody drugs will create highly exciting new opportunities for both companies. We look forward to collaborating with Pneuma to advance our candidate drugs into clinical use as soon as possible.”

Pneuma Respiratory, founded in 2015, is a pharmaceutical company based in Boone, North Carolina, USA. Pneuma has assembled a global team of researchers, physicians, designers, and engineers to create the first fully integrated digital breath-activated inhaler. This inhalation delivery system incorporates digital microfluidics integrated with Bluetooth technology, enabling the provision of medication delivery feedback to patients, family members, and healthcare providers. Leveraging Pneuma’s digital droplet ejection technology, its devices have the potential to ultimately deliver a range of new therapies to the lungs, including biologics. The first-generation breath-activated digital inhaler (BDI) is currently for research purposes only and is not commercially available.

Nanjing Leadsbiolabs Co., Ltd., based in Nanjing, China, is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company with more than 10 novel monoclonal and bispecific antibody drug programs for tumor immunotherapy and other major diseases, addressing unmet medical needs.