Bold Therapeutics and the University of Ottawa Initiate Research Partnership to Study BOLD-100 in the Treatment of COVID-19

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bold Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that it initiated a research partnership with researchers from the University of Ottawa to explore the potential utility of BOLD-100 as a novel antiviral agent.

"We will be using our lentiviral-based infection system, derived from HIV, equipped with the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) spike, to study the impact of BOLD-100 on viral entry," explained Dr. Marc-André Langlois, Faculty Professor of Medicine and Canada Research Chair in Molecular Virology and Intrinsic Immunity. "There is an urgent need for novel antiviral agents effective against COVID-19 and related pathogens, and we look forward to advancing our understanding of the role that GRP78 plays in viral entry."

BOLD-100's main mechanism of action is to inhibit stress-induced upregulation of GRP78. There is extensive literature suggesting that GRP78 plays a critical role in host recognition, viral entry and viral replication.

BOLD-100 is a first-in-class anti-resistance ruthenium-based small molecule drug which selectively inhibits stress-induced upregulation of GRP78. Bold Therapeutics is focused on development of BOLD-100 in combination with FOLFOX and other anti-cancer agents for the treatment of various gastrointestinal cancers, including gastric, pancreatic, colorectal and bile duct (cholangiocarcinoma) cancers. A previously completed Phase 1 monotherapy study of BOLD-100 in advanced cancers showed that BOLD-100 was generally well-tolerated, with minimal side effects. Bold Therapeutics currently has ample cGMP clinical product available and an open IND / CTA in the U.S. and Canada, respectively, allowing for potentially rapid clinical development.

"We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Langlois' team at the University of Ottawa," added Dr. Mark Bazett, Director of Preclinical Development at Bold Therapeutics. "In the interim, we continue to seek other potential collaborators who could also help generate additional data, particularly related to viral replication."

As Bold Therapeutics' clinical and scientific capability has been built to address drug resistance in cancer, it continues to seek collaborators who have the capability and resources to enable rapid advancement of BOLD-100 in the treatment of COVID-19.

For more information, please visit the COVID-19 section on Company's website at www.bold-therapeutics.com/covid-19.

Contact:

E. Russell McAllister, CEO
[email protected]
(604) 262-9899

SOURCE Bold Therapeutics Inc.