A spin-out company from the University of Southampton specialising in finding and out-licensing treatments for chronic bronchitis (COPD) and the severest forms of asthma, is about to seek a listing on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM).
World-renowned scientist Professor Stephen Holgate and his colleagues Dr Ratko Djukanovic and Dr Donna Davies, who founded Synairgen in the summer of 2003, have spent many years researching the underlying mechanisms of respiratory disease and bring that experience to the company. The team's work culminated in the discovery of a human gene critical to the development of asthma.
The company is already working on three collaborations with international drug companies and, with the University of Southampton, has filed two patents. Synairgen is developing a product which addresses the problem of why the common cold brings on asthma attacks. Another product is being developed which should help asthmatic lungs 'repair' themselves.
At a molecular level, detailed analysis is highlighting important new bio-markers present in the blood and lung secretions revealing vital differences between the lungs of healthy people and those with chronic lung disease. The Company's objective is to develop novel respiratory drugs using this approach.
Professor Holgate has published over 700 papers and is one of the most frequently cited authors in the field of bio-molecular science. He said, 'We are investigating what it is about the structure of an asthmatic or smoker's lungs which leads to a prolonged response of lung damage and altered repair, then we can work on ways to resolve these problems. Over 50 per cent of people have allergies, but only one fifth of these people develop asthma. Analysing these helps us to identify drug targets.'