MucoLife Therapeutics secures €91K from Vinnova to scale manufacturing of COPD treatment

MucoLife Therapeutics has secured funding from Sweden's innovation agency, Vinnova, for the development of a scalable manufacturing process for MLT-001, a peptide designed to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The €91,000 (SEK 1 million) grant will be used to establish a purification process for MLT-001, which is the company's first-in-class inhaled treatment targeting mucus plugging in COPD patients.

Mucus obstruction is a significant issue for more than half of moderate-to-severe COPD patients, leading to poor outcomes such as reduced lung function, frequent exacerbations, and increased mortality. MucoLife's work has demonstrated the scalability of MLT-001 synthesis, and the grant will help develop a process that achieves a suitable level of purity and documented yield.

The project will also involve collaboration with a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) partner, aiming to create a process description and control strategy for potential Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacture. MucoLife's CEO, Thaher Pelaseyed, emphasizes that manufacturing is crucial for transforming a promising molecule into a medicine. With Vinnova's support, MucoLife aims to progress towards clinical trials.