According to a publication from FierceBiotech, biotechnology companies SmartZyme BioPharma and Hemoshear Therapeutics have started a joint venture together called Carnot BioSciences.
Carnot hopes to use non-conventional protein-based therapy to treat rare metabolic conditions. Doctor Brian Wamhoff, Ph.D., one of Hemoshear’s co-founders, said that they’ve conducted research that suggests that certain alterations made to enzymes in the body might improve the body’s ability to absorb or otherwise neutralize harmful buildups of toxins associated with a number of rare illnesses.
About Protein and Enzyme Therapy
Protein therapeutics are still a relatively small and niche part of medical science, that has nevertheless shown a rapid increase in its scope and importance.
There are any number of metabolic conditions caused by shortages of certain enzymes or the presence of improperly functioning ones. In the past, protein therapy has provided relief for patients who had no other form of treatment to turn to.
By 2004, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) had become standard treatment for patients with type 1 Gaucher’s disease. The new therapy was incredibly effective and greatly improved the prognosis of these patients so greatly that further investigations into the potential of ERT were quickly called for.
In 2015 the FDA approved Kanuma, a type of enzyme replacement therapy, for patients who had lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D). People with LAL-D have very little lysosomal acid lipase (an enzyme) activity, which can lead to a buildup of fat in cells and tissues. It represented the first available treatment in the United States for these patients.
With recent rapid advances in the field of structural biology, scientific understanding of enzymes and their functions has progressed at an equally impressive rate. As of 2009, in the United States alone no fewer than 11 different enzymes had been approved for use in treating metabolic disorders, or were undergoing clinical trials. Since then the number has continued to grow.
Carnot BioSciences
Carnot hopes to capitalize on the recent boom of protein and enzyme therapeutic treatments. Parent company SmartZyne intends to use the joint venture as an opportunity to shift its own focus back to a promising glucose-sensing enzyme that would make continuous glucose monitors less expensive for diabetes patients.
Hemoshear will help to identify enzymes that show promise in balancing imbalances caused by metabolic disorders, and Carnot will attempt to alter those enzymes to even further improve effectiveness. Scientists remain hopeful about advances in this continually important field of medical science.
Enzyme and protein therapeutics are a relatively new introduction to the field of medicine. How might advancements in technology that improves on the body’s natural defenses prove more beneficial than typical pharmaceuticals? Share your thoughts with Patient Worthy!
