Fusion Antibodies & Opsona Therapeutics Ltd
INNOVA has helped Fusion Antibodies in Belfast and Opsona Therapeutics Ltd in Dublin to join forces for the discovery and potential development of groundbreaking drugs to treat diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Dr Mark Heffernan, CEO at Opsona Therapeutics said: "The project was set up to discover new anti-inflammatory drugs based on potential compounds already developed by Fusion Antibodies. Fusion Antibodies has the skills to identify such compounds while Opsona specialises in screening such prototype drugs to test their applicability in inflammatory diseases."
For this project, the two companies are particularly focused on developing a drug that targets MS, a disease for which no drug has been approved for treatment of its primary progressive form. Dr Heffernan highlighted the importance of InterTradeIreland's INNOVA programme to Opsona in developing pioneering medical research in Ireland.
He said: "Not only has INNOVA raised money for valuable research creating the potential to develop new drugs, it has also enabled us to expand on our existing techniques. Our collaboration with Fusion Antibodies has been a very positive experience and we are already starting to get the first results of the research." Shane Olwill of Fusion Antibodies agrees. "INNOVA has allowed us to solidify links with a very innovative company in the Republic of Ireland. We've long known about Opsona but we have never had an opportunity or a vehicle to move a project forward with them." he said.
