Fusion IP backs University of Sheffield life sciences firm PH Therapeutics

UNIVERSITY spin out investor Fusion IP today announced the launch of a medical business which is developing treatments to help prevent heart failure.

Fusion, which has agreements with a series of UK universities, said that its new portfolio company, PH Therapeutics, in which it has a 60% stake, is founded on research carried out at the University of Sheffield.

Dr Allan Lawrie from the Department of Cardiovascular Science at the University of Sheffield, aims to develop biologic treatments for the rare disease Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH).

PAH is caused by the thickening of the walls in arteries that take blood from the heart to the lungs, making it harder for blood to flow through them resulting in high blood pressure which puts a strain on the heart that can lead to difficulty in breathing and heart failure.

While current treatment is only focused on relaxing blood vessels to try to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, PH Therapeutics is developing therapies that specifically target molecules thought to be responsible for cell wall thickening which could control and reverse the disease.

PAH affects around two in 10,000 people in the European Union and is classed as an ‘orphan disease’ meaning it is rare.

Peter Grant, operations director of Fusion IP, said: “PH Therapeutics is another life-sciences spin-out derived from the world-class research at the University of Sheffield and we look forward to working with Allan and the team, as they develop this ground-breaking IP.  This is another example of commercialisation of IP for an orphan or rare disease with the potential of bringing real benefits to patients”.

Allan Lawrie, founder and MRC career development fellow, commented: “Although several treatments exist for treating the symptoms of PAH, these have not been shown to be as effective as hoped for patients suffering from this life-threatening disease.  I am delighted that through PH Therapeutics, working in conjunction with the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Pulmonary Vascular Disease Unit we will begin the journey of developing new and better treatments for patients”.