On July 19, 2022 Propanc Biopharma, Inc. (OTCQB: PPCB) ("Propanc" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel cancer treatments for patients suffering from recurring and metastatic cancer, reported that successful production of a synthetic recombinant version of the proenzyme trypsinogen was completed via the Proenzyme Optimization Project 1 (POP1) joint research and drug discovery program (Press release, Propanc, JUL 19, 2022, View Source [SID1234616761]). The program is designed to produce a backup clinical compound to the Company’s lead product candidate, PRP, which is targeting metastatic cancer from solid tumors. According to Emergen Research, the global metastatic cancer market is projected to be worth $111 Billion by 2027.
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The program’s lead research scientist, Mr. Aitor González, was able to produce the recombinant trypsinogen successfully. Previously, attempts to produce synthetic trypsinogen when manufacturing in larger quantities were unable to be stabilized. Mr. González consulted with Professor Diethard Mattanovich, Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria, Europe, and is ready to undertake a larger scale production of recombinant trypsinogen, subsequently purified to achieve a higher quality product. This process will also be repeated for recombinant chymotrypsinogen to manufacture a synthetic recombinant formulation to the Company’s lead product candidate, PRP.
"The work we’re undertaking with the POP1 Joint Research and Drug Discovery Program is novel and complexed so that we can produce an even better higher quality product than the naturally derived version which comprises the PRP formulation," said Dr. Julian Kenyon, MD, MB, ChB, Propanc’s Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder. "The proenzymes are very large molecules which can affect their stability when undertaking production in the laboratory. Therefore, I’m highly impressed with the quality of work produced by Aitor in Professor Mattanovich’s lab. Our goal is introducing a new therapeutic approach for the treatment and prevention of metastatic cancer by using proenzymes to target and eradicate cancer stem cells. We want to ensure that we harness the already potent anti-cancer effects of the naturally derived proenzymes, whilst reducing variability between lots and improving stability. Much in the way porcine insulin was first introduced to patients to treat diabetes on a mass scale in the 1920’s by Eli Lilly, who then went on to produce synthetic ‘human’ insulin 50 years later."
The objective of the POP1 program is to produce large quantities of trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen for commercial use that exhibits minimal variation between lots and without sourcing the proenzymes from animals. Propanc is undertaking the challenging research project in collaboration with the Universities of Jaén and Granada, led by Mr. González, supported by Prof. Macarena Perán, Ph.D. and Prof. Juan Antonio Marchal M.D., representing the Universities, respectively, and Dr. Kenyon.
PRP is a mixture of two proenzymes, trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen from bovine pancreas administered by intravenous injection. A synergistic ratio of 1:6 inhibits growth of most tumor cells. Examples include kidney, ovarian, breast, brain, prostate, colorectal, lung, liver, uterine and skin cancers.