Enzolytics, Inc. is committed to the development and commercialization of its proprietary protein therapeutics for the treatment of debilitating infectious diseases. The Company’s technology is broad, including technology for treating HIV-1, Hepatitis (A, B, C), Rheumatoid Arthritis, certain forms of cancer, rabies, influenza A and B, tetanus, and diphtheria. The Company’s therapies are also being developed to treat chronic infection and certain forms of cancer.
As a result of the recent acquisition of the biotech company BioClonetics Immunotherapeutics, Inc., Enzolytics is now advancing additional complementary therapeutic platforms for treating infectious diseases, including a focus on the production of anti-SARS-CoV-2 (CoronaVirus) monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19.
One Company technology, invented by Harry Zhabilov, the CSO of the Company, includes a patented antiviral peptide that has been tested in clinical studies at the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases in Bulgaria. This therapeutic, known as ITV-1, is a suspension of Inactivated Pepsin Fragment (IPF), a purified extract of porcine pepsin. ITV-1 has been shown to strengthen the immune system and may be used to facilitate a broad range of applications. ITV-1 has been tested in HIV patients in a clinical trial conducted under the strict guidelines of the European Union. HIV patients tested in these trials showed the following beneficial outcomes:
This Enzolytics anti-HIV treatment is now being advanced through the certification stage, after which it will be available for patient therapy. ITV-1 has also demonstrated a positive effect on different kinds of cancer due to its ability to stimulate the immune system.
With the recent acquisition of the technology created by BioClonetics Immunotherapeutics, Inc., the Company has additional and complementary technology for producing fully human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that neutralize the HIV virus. The Company is in the final development of the recombinant of the parent antibody (identified as “Clone 3”), which has been shown in in vitro tests conduction in 5 international laboratories to fully neutralized over 95% of all strains and viral subtypes of HIV-1 against which it was tested. The basis for its broad-spectrum efficacy is the fact that Clone 3 mAb targets an immutable epitope on the HIV virus. The targeted epitope has remained present in 98% (either directly or by way of conserved substitutions) of all now known 87,336 HIV isolates analyzed by the Company’s use of artificial intelligence. The failure of other mAbs, such as the Vaccine Research Group VRC01 [Bar KJ, et al. Effect of HIV Antibody VRC01 on Viral Rebound after Treatment Interruption. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(21):2037-50. PMCID|5292134] resulted from the targeting of mutable epitopes of the HIV virus.
The Company’s proprietary protein methodology may also be applied to produce monoclonal antibodies against other infectious diseases. This includes the production of monoclonal antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (CoronaVirus), as well as other infectious diseases, including HIV-2, anthrax, smallpox, H1N1 influenza, herpes zoster, varicella zoster, Rh (+) auto-immune disease, and the Ebolavirus. A Company program is underway to produce monoclonal antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (CoronaVirus). Such production will be achieved using the proprietary methodology used to previously produce monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against HIV, rabies, influenza A, influenza B, tetanus, and diphtheria.
Having produced neutralizing antibodies against the HIV-1 virus and recognizing a significant correlative structure between the HIV virus and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the Company is developing anti-SARS-Cov-2 (CoronaVirus) monoclonal antibodies using its proprietary technology. These antibodies are expected to provide a therapeutic for patients infected with COVID-19. Identification of these neutralizable epitopes also will permit the production of a phage display anti-SARS-CoV-2 (CoronaVirus) vaccine.
Production of these monoclonal antibodies is being conducted in the Company’s lab at the Texas A&M University Institute for Preclinical Studies in College Station, Texas.
