Ocean Biomedical (NASDAQ: OCEA) Details Novel Malaria Therapeutic Discoveries at the NIH Laboratory of Malaria Vaccinology and Immunology on PfGARP’s Potential as a Highly Effective Vaccine Target and Therapeutic Candidate to Treat Malaria

Providence, RI, March 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocean Biomedical, Inc., a biopharma company working to accelerate the development and commercialization of scientifically compelling assets from research universities and medical centers, announced today that its Scientific Co-founder, Jonathan Kurtis, MD, PhD, presented details of the Company’s novel malaria treatment approach to scientists at the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Laboratory of Malaria Vaccinology and Immunology in Bethesda, MD during a meeting held last month. Building on his groundbreaking discovery that the parasite protein PfGARP is potentially a highly effective vaccine target to treat malaria, Dr. Kurtis presented data demonstrating that engagement of PfGARP is critical for regulating parasite density within the human host as it triggers the malaria parasite to kill itself. Developments shared at the meeting detail how Dr. Kurtis’ team used a novel approach to capitalize on PfGARPs ability to kill parasites, targeting it for potential drug development.

This follows Ocean Biomedical’s prior announcement that Dr. Jack A. Elias in a recent talk shared details of his team’s discoveries of the role that glycoprotein CHI3L1 has in regulating primary and metastatic lung cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, and broader oncogenic pathways. Dr. Elias is Ocean Biomedical’s other Scientific Co-founder and Dean Emeritus of Medicine and Biological Sciences at Brown University.

In his talk, Dr. Kurtis detailed his unique Whole Proteome Differential Screening technique used to contrast the antibody repertoires of malaria-resistant children versus malaria-susceptible children. This differential screening technique has led to the discovery of three key targets that are being formulated into a highly effective malaria vaccine candidate being advanced by Dr. Kurtis and Ocean Biomedical. Dr. Kurtis also detailed how his team identified small molecule candidates that bind to and activate PfGARP, leading to parasite death.

The data generated by Dr. Kurtis’ lab has demonstrated that the family of small molecule candidates in development by Dr. Kurtis’ team are highly specific for PfGARP binding, are non-toxic in multiple in vitro and in vivo systems, have excellent pharmacokinetic properties, and rapidly clear parasitemia in animal models. This discovery has allowed Ocean Biomedical to begin simultaneously pursuing the development of a novel malaria vaccine, and novel malaria therapeutics.

Global Need

Malaria is still the greatest single-agent killer of children on the planet, killing approximately 627,000 individuals in 2022. Artemisinin-based drug therapy remains the mainstay of treatment, but the spread of parasites resistant to this family of compounds threatens recent progress achieved by antimalarial campaigns and underscores the urgent need to identify new anti-malarial drugs. In a 2022 report, the World Health Organization warned of a surge in mosquito-borne diseases due to global warming, which is increasing vector survival and biting rates.

Leadership Comments

“We desperately need new drugs for severe malaria,” said Dr. Kurtis, who is also a member of Ocean Biomedical’s board of directors and Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. “We’re hopeful that this might lead to a whole new class of anti-malarial drugs. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to share this work with colleagues at NIH, especially Drs. Patrick Duffy and Michal Fried who have helped advance our work at every stage.”

“This malaria vaccine discovery, along with the prior discovery of bispecific antibodies and immune checkpoint inhibitors that kill Glioblastoma cells and melanoma cells, will save thousands of lives and lead to long-term shareholder value growth,” commented Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, Chairman and co-founder of Ocean Biomedical. “We look forward to bringing these malaria vaccine candidates to the people of Asia and Africa and to the possibility of preventing the leading cause of childhood deaths globally.”

“With the rising resistance to artemisinin-based drugs in sub-Saharan Africa, it is imperative that we get new malaria therapeutics into the drug development pipeline,” said Elizabeth Ng, Ocean Biomedical’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are pleased to be working on multiple solutions to this ongoing global health crisis, and to have the opportunity to share it with some of the nation’s top malaria researchers.”

Suren Ajjarapu, a director of Ocean Biomedical, commented, “We’re proud to be collaborating with our nation’s top scientists to move these important programs forward.”

About Ocean Biomedical
Ocean Biomedical, Inc. is a Providence, Rhode Island-based biopharma company with an innovative business model that accelerates the development and commercialization of scientifically compelling assets from research universities and medical centers. Ocean Biomedical deploys the funding and expertise to move new therapeutic candidates efficiently from the laboratory to the clinic, to the world. Ocean Biomedical is currently developing five promising discoveries that have the potential to achieve life-changing outcomes in lung cancer, brain cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, and the prevention and treatment of malaria. The Ocean Biomedical team is working on solving some of the world’s toughest problems, for the people who need it most.

To learn more, visit www.oceanbiomedical.com.

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Any discoveries announced by the Company are based solely on laboratory and animal studies. Ocean Biomedical has not conducted any studies that show similar efficacy or safety in humans. There can be no assurances that any treatment tested by the Company will prove safe or effective in humans, and any clinical benefit of any such treatment is subject to clinical trials and ultimate approval of its use in patients by the FDA. Such approval, if granted, could be years away.

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Kevin Kertscher
Communications Director