4basebio inks development deal with Heqet Therapeutics

Life sciences company 4basebio announced a joint development agreement with Heqet Therapeutics on Wednesday.

The AIM-traded firm said the agreement would be focussed on the development of a non-viral vector, incorporating a proprietary Heqet payload for cardiomyocyte regeneration, and the treatment of myocardial infarction more broadly.

Heqet recently closed an €8m (£6.74m) financing round to progress its development programmes.

It was using its proprietary intellectual property to develop therapies enabling heart regeneration and renewal, thus avoiding scar formation on the heart after a myocardial infarction.

Such scarring could eventually lead to cardiac dysfunction and failure, despite improvements in medical interventions.

Under the agreement, the two companies would evaluate the use of 4basebio’s ‘Hermes’ non-viral nanoparticle for the delivery of payloads targeting cardiomyocyte regeneration.

The successful outcome of the project could lead to the proof-of-concept development of a therapy enabling heart regeneration post infarction.

“We are delighted to be working with Heqet on this novel therapy approach for heart repair following myocardial infarction,” said chief executive and chief scientific officer Dr Heikki Lanckriet.

“This further demonstrates the flexible application of our Hermes targeted delivery technology within the cell and gene therapy markets.”