Zentek provides preliminary update on influenza countermeasure candidate

Zentek (ZTEK) has completed the first in vivo tests of the lead candidate countermeasure for seasonal influenza as part of the Innovative Solutions Canada Testing Stream. Highlights: Zentek was awarded approximately $1.1M through the Government of Canada’s Innovative Solutions Canada Testing Stream under Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada for Health: Advanced And Emerging Medical Technologies. Government of Canada testing partners include ISED’s Health and Emergency Preparedness Canada and Defence Research and Development Canada, the science and technology organization of the Department of National Defence. On April 23, Zentek announced in a market update that it had developed a lead candidate for highly pathogenic avian influenza A, with potential efficacy across other influenza strains. Testing of the lead candidate in vivo was facilitated by NexusHealth at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Miller. Animals given the aptamer lead candidate prophylactically had substantially improved clinical scores, 5x greater survival rates, 80% less weight loss 5 days post-infection, and decreased recovery times compared to the control group. Zentek is pleased to report preliminary testing of a lead influenza aptamer countermeasure in an animal model. The aptamer countermeasure was developed for a Government of Canada contract through an ISC Testing Stream to develop a prophylactic and therapeutic lead candidate countermeasure for HPAI. The countermeasure was produced using Zentek’s multi-valent aptamer strategy developed by Dr. Yingfu Li’s research group at McMaster University. The aptamer countermeasure was selected and optimized for broad recognition of influenza hemagglutinin proteins with strong binding affinities for H1, H5, H2 and H3 and has shown to have strong neutralization against H1N1 and H5N1 when tested in vitro. After selecting a countermeasure in Phase 1 of the ISC Testing Stream contract, the program entered Phase 2 for the assessment of the performance of the aptamer countermeasure in in vivo models. In the first in vivo test, animals were given a 150 microM prophylactic dose of either vehicle or the aptamer lead candidate two hours prior to a lethal challenge with A. Animals that were part of the control group experienced earlier and more severe clinical signs of infection than mice treated with the aptamer countermeasure. By day 7, 4 out of 5 mice in the control group reached endpoint. Only one animal that received the lead aptamer countermeasure reached end point, while the remaining mice fully recovered by day 9. Following up on these results, researchers have improved the formulation and administration schedule of the treatment and have prepared materials for more comprehensive testing of the lead candidate’s performance against H1N1 and H5N1, which is scheduled to begin in a few weeks.