Mr. Rob Hutchison reports

BIOASIS DISCOVERS THE KEYS TO TRANSCEND TO ADVANCE ITS PROGRAM FOR THE DELIVERY OF THERAPEUTICS ACROSS THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER

Bioasis Technologies Inc. has identified a new family of peptides that conserve the brain shuttling properties of Transcend. Transcend is Bioasis's proprietary vector which has the function of shuttling molecules across the blood-brain barrier. In side by side comparisons, these new peptide vectors are more efficient than the native, full-size Transcend molecule at delivering cargo to the brain.

This new family of peptides is able to shuttle a variety of therapeutic and biologics into the brain, and their transport is not limited by the size of the transported therapeutic or its composition. This family, the second generation of Transcend, offers multiple advantages compared with Transcend. For example, the costs of production are extremely low as the peptides can be easily synthesized, and a wide variety of peptide-cargo conjugates with different applications to a range of diseases can be produced simply and predictably. The peptide vectors are particularly well suited to coupling to small molecule chemotherapeutics and other drugs. Thus, development of new drugs using these new shuttle vectors can be accomplished more quickly and at much lower costs. This new family of novel chemical entities will provide a strong patent position for the company, and its current and future partners.

Professor Wilfred Jefferies, Bioasis's founding scientist, states: "After several years of innovation based on Transcend, our team has identified a new class of small carriers that can shuttle drugs across the blood-brain barrier, allowing them to enter and distribute in the brain. In preclinical animal models, the peptide vector conjugates have shown remarkable efficacy. The discovery and translation of these new carrier entities into novel therapeutics provide a glimpse into the future treatment of neurological disorders."