RESEARCH
ASAKE Biotechnology, LLC partners with researchers in developing novel health therapeutics utilizing natural resources. We work in collaboration with university partners throughout the United States and globally on a pipeline of projects.
Type 1 Diabetes Lead Compound
The mission of the collaborative project between ASAKE Biotechnology, LLC and Ohio University researchers is to provide a lead compound in the development of a novel therapeutic that will aid patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in enhancing insulin content and secretion while preventing cell death, providing the best combination of protection and insulin secretion to date.
ASAKE Biotechnology, LLC, through a licensing agreement with Ohio University researchers, is developing the first lead compound, MSB-3, designed to treat patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in two significant and novel ways:
1. Reducing or preventing cell death that normally occurs with T1D, leading to decrease blood glucose levels and possibly slowing or halting disease progression without the need for additional insulin treatment.
2. Enhancing insulin content and secretion making it unnecessary for patients with T1D to rely on traditional injectable insulin therapy.
Over 1.9 million Americans (over 9 million people globally) suffer from T1D, an autoimmune disorder in which a body's immune system destroys a majority of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Traditional injectable insulin therapy can result in a patient's risk of becoming immunocompromised and insulin intolerant. MSB-3, however, is showing promising results in stabilizing blood glucose and increasing pancreatic beta cells' insulin production without the risk of a patient becoming immunocompromised. The first lead compound to showcase these results, MSB-3 is being further studied and targeted with the goal of preparing it for clinical trials and eventual drug development.
PROTAC Technology and Living Medicine Against COVID
ASAKE Biotechnology is partnering with Ohio University researchers to use Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) in the fight against COVID. PROTAC technology uses a small molecule comprised of two active domains and a linker that is capable of removing specific unwanted proteins. The team is developing PROTACs to target and degrade specific proteases in in COVID-infected human cells and eventually prevent viral replication.
PROTACs are a relatively well-established technology, showing promise in treating various diseases, and the success rate is relatively high. The long-term goal of this project is to generate a series of virus targeting PROTACs and, ultimately, to optimize and develop them into clinical use.
The team is currently in the research phase to further study and develop this novel therapeutic.
Growth Hormone Therapeutic
In conjunction with Ohio University, ASAKE Biotechnology is helping to develop a second-generation therapeutic for patients with acromegaly. Acromegaly is a hormone disorder that occurs when the pituitary gland produces too much hGH, or human growth hormone, and increases the size of a person’s bones in their hands, feet, and face. It can also lead to serious and life-threatening health problems. Although rare, acromegaly affects approximately 70,000 people globally.
Dr. John Kopchick of Ohio University discovered and developed an hGH receptor antagonist compound that is now an approved drug, Somavert®, which is marketed worldwide for use in patients with excess hGH. While this works well for people with elevated hGH, about 30% of people with acromegaly also have high levels of human prolactin (hPRL), causing more aggressive symptoms and diminishing their quality of life.
Dr. Kopchick and ASAKE Biotechnology are currently working together on a second-generation therapeutic that not only works to normalize hGH but also hPRL levels. The team is in the research phase to study and optimize the production of the antagonists that will effectively target both hGH and hPRL.