Cryptome, NTRI to team up on brain trauma drugs

Melbourne-based Cryptome Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CRP) and the National Trauma Research Institute (NTRI), at the Alfred Hospital, have signed an agreement that will accelerate Cryptome's drug discovery platform in neuroinflammation.

NTRI has a focus on brain damage that is often associated with head injuries.

"In a normal, non-inflamed situation the amount of proteins within the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) is very little. But once you have an inflammation or injury such as trauma there's an increase in the amount of proteins present in the cerebral spinal fluid," said Cryptome's CSO, Vic Ilag. "The NTRI has access to proteins which get expressed in the cerebral spinal fluid. Not a whole lot of people get access to these types of proteins."

Cryptome uses a high-throughput screening process to identify fragments (peptides) of natural proteins for potential therapeutic drugs and will use its proprietary drug discovery technology to find protein fragments in the highly specialised clinical source material provided by the NTRI.

The protein fragments (or 'crypteins') discovered through the collaboration could potentially be used as drugs to prevent or limit damage from inflammatory or traumatic injury of the brain.

"NTRI will be able to investigate selected crypteins in our disease models and gain an early insight to their clinical potential," said Dr Cristina Morganti-Kossmann, senior neuroscientist and head of basic research at the NTRI.

Under the agreement, any drug candidates discovered will be owned by Cryptome, but NTRI has the right to develop its own intellectual property from the libraries of protein fragments developed by Cryptome.

Morganti-Kossmann will become a part-time consultant for Cryptome.