PA401 is a modified form of the human chemokine IL-8. Human IL-8 (CXCL8) is a chemokine produced by macrophages and other cells and its primary function is the attraction of neutrophils to sites of acute and chronic inflammation. PA401 acts as a potent, targeted anti-inflammatory protein preventing the infiltration of neutrophils which is a hallmark of many respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis (CF).

Dr. Mike Bartley, Chief Development Officer of ProtAffin, commented: “We are very pleased to have received approval from the MHRA in the UK to initiate our first human study with PA401. Our extensive preclinical studies into the anti-inflammatory properties of PA401 suggest that it is a promising candidate for the steroid-resistant inflammation which causes significant morbidity and mortality in diseases such as COPD and cystic fibrosis. We expect to complete the study by the end of 2012.”

Dr. Jason Slingsby, Chief Executive Officer of ProtAffin, added: “Starting the Phase 1 study for PA401 is a major milestone for the Company, and marks ProtAffin becoming a clinical-stage biotechnology company. PA401 was discovered using ProtAffin’s proprietary CellJammer^® discovery platform. Gaining experience in clinical development will add considerable value to this unique, differentiated biologics platform for down-regulating protein activity in diseases with severe unmet medical disease and mortality. We are confident that we will establish targeting glycans with biopharmaceuticals as a new therapeutic modality within the biopharmaceuticals industry.”