£1 million grant will support first-in-human clinical trials of H-Guard
GLASGOW, Scotland, March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Invizius Limited ("Invizius"), a biotechnology company developing treatments to suppress unwanted innate immune responses, today announces that it has been awarded a £1 million grant to bring H-Guard, its proprietary priming solution, designed to reduce the life-threatening inflammatory effects of haemodialysis, to the clinic. The funds will be used towards H-Guard's First-in-Man safety study commencing in 2022.
There are currently 3.3 million haemodialysis patients worldwide who receive treatment multiple times a week. Dialysis treatment can reduce life expectancy by two thirds and almost half of patients die from cardiovascular complications, in part caused by the immune system reacting to components of the dialysis apparatus.
The H-Guard Priming Solution comprises a novel protein that lines the inside of the dialysis filter and helps dialysis to take place undetected by the body's immune system. This suppresses the blood's foreign body response preventing a repetitive, hostile inflammatory reaction that increases the risk of cardiovascular complications.
Richard Boyd, Chief Executive Officer of Invizius, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this grant by the Biomedical Catalyst to bring our potentially lifesaving treatment to the clinic to improve outcomes and the quality of life of haemodialysis patients. Being one of the 17 award recipients selected out of 302 applicants is an honour and validates the potential of our cutting edge technology to solve a huge unmet need for haemodialysis patients. We are initially targeting patients with high innate immune response to dialysis, where the worldwide market for H-Guard is estimated to be worth over £1.5 billion."
Invizius is supported by a strong syndicate of investors including Mercia, Downing Ventures, Old College Capital, Scottish Enterprise, Solvay Ventures, Calculus Capital and experienced life science entrepreneur and investor, Dr Jonathan Milner. The Company has established the regulatory pathway for H-Guard in North America and the potential for coincident approval in Europe.
About Invizius
Invizius Limited is a late pre-clinical-stage biotechnology company developing treatments to suppress unwanted innate immune responses, focused initially on reducing the life-threatening inflammatory effects of dialysis. Founded in 2017, the University of Edinburgh spin-out is developing its proprietary H-Guard Priming Solution, comprising a novel protein that lines the inside of the dialysis filter and helps dialysis to take place undetected by the body's immune system. This suppresses the blood's foreign body response, thereby preventing a hostile inflammatory reaction. The technology can also be used with other devices or treatments such as continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), cardiopulmonary bypass, organ transplants and immunomodulating therapeutics. The company is looking to expand its product pipeline into other, high-value indications.
For more information on Invizius, please visit: www.invizius.com
About the Biomedical Catalyst
The Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) is a unique partnership between the MRC and Innovate UK, providing responsive and effective support to the most innovative life sciences opportunities regardless of scientific approach. The BMC aims to de-risk innovative science and commercialise ideas arising out of academia and industry helping UK SMEs to develop into competitive and sustainable organisations. This accelerates the progress of novel products to market, facilitates onward investment and bridges "the valley of death." For further information please visit: https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/science-areas/translation/biomedical-catalyst/
Innovate UK
Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas, including those from the UK's world-class research base. They connect businesses to the partners, customers and investors that can help them turn these ideas into commercially successful products and services, and business growth. For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org.
