Immuron SARS-CoV-2 Research Agreement with Monash University

Key Points

• Immuron’s Hyper-immune Bovine Colostrum, used to manufacture Travelan^® and Protectyn^®, demonstrated antiviral activity against the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 virus in laboratory studies.
• A New Research Services Agreement has been executed with Monash University to advance the SARS-CoV-2 findings and to further research and identify the inhibitory substance/s in Immuron’s marketed products (IMM-124E).

MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Immuron Limited (ASX: IMC; NASDAQ: IMRN), an Australian biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising oral immunotherapeutics for the prevention and treatment of gut pathogens, today is pleased to provide shareholders and the market with an update on progress made for the further development of the anti-viral activity of IMM-124E. The company has been actively engaging with local, national, and international research collaborators to advance this work and assist in the further characterization of the neutralization activity of SARS-CoV-2 observed with Immuron’s commercial hyper-immune colostrum used to manufacture the company’s flag ship commercially available and over-the-counter gastrointestinal and digestive health immune supplements Travelan^® and Protectyn^®.

The company has recently executed a new Research Agreement with Monash University to develop new assays to evaluate the efficacy of IMM-124E, the active pharmaceutical ingredient used to manufacture Travelan^® and Protectyn^® to further our understanding of the inhibitory substance/s in our commercial products.

The research team will be led by Dr Melanie Hutton and Professor Dena Lyras, Deputy Director, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Deputy Head, Department of Microbiology who will utilize two new recombinant reagents, the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, a receptor binding domain protein as well as an antibody positive human serum sample obtained from Melbourne’s Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.

“We have been very fortunate to obtain access to the SARS-CoV-2 recombinant proteins developed at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity,” said Professor Lyras. “These reagents will be used to initiate the research work and to develop a suitable assay for evaluating the inhibitory efficacy of IMM-124E. Furthermore, specific immune components will be purified from IMM-124E and will be used to evaluate their ability to inhibit the binding of an antibody positive human serum sample to specific COVID-19 proteins, such as the spike protein which is crucial for cell entry,” said Dr Hutton.

This release has been authorised by the directors of Immuron Limited.

For more information visit: http://www.immuron.com