Posted on May 21, 2021
Collaboration seeks to alleviate cold storage requirements for mRNA COVID vaccines, enhance other medical therapeutics
(Sherbrooke, Que. and Collingwood, Ont., May 21, 2021) – Université de Sherbrooke and KEY DH Technologies Inc. subsidiary deutraMed Inc. today announced a collaboration to accelerate the development of deutraMed’s innovative Biomolecule Stabilization Technology platform.
The $500,000 project seeks to further validate the platform’s effectiveness in stabilizing mRNA COVID vaccines and a wide range of other advanced medical therapeutics. It is supported jointly with cash and in-kind contributions from deutraMed, Universite de Sherbrooke and MITACS, a national, not-for-profit organization that works with universities, businesses, federal, and provincial governments to deliver research and training programs.
The successful advancement of deutraMed’s stabilization platform could enable mRNA COVID vaccines to be stored and transported at higher temperatures than is possible now. This would resolve significant logistical challenges to global vaccine distribution caused by the need for storage at temperatures as low as -70 degrees Celsius.
“Université de Sherbrooke is playing a key role in our efforts to accelerate deutraMed’s Biomolecule Stabilization Technology platform,” says Andrew Stuart, President and CEO, KEY DH Technologies. “The university has the laboratory facilities and people required to do this, notably Professor Denis Gris, a well-known and respected research scientist in the fields of cellular and molecular immunology.”
deutraMed’s stabilization platform utilizes the company’s BioPure Deuterium Oxide™ product. The platform stabilizes certain active pharmaceutical ingredients, thereby enabling medical treatments which would otherwise not be practical due to the inherent instability of the advanced medicines themselves.
mRNA is the foundation of many new advanced therapeutics where stabilization can offer significant potential benefits. These include treatments currently in development and undergoing clinical trials for diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases and other medical conditions.
“I am delighted to collaborate with deutraMed in its cutting-edge work on mRNA stabilization, with support from the MITACS program,” said Professor Gris, Université de Sherbrooke, Département de Pharmacologie et Physiologie. “This work will help advance an important emerging field of therapeutics.”
About KEY DH Technologies Inc.
KEY DH Technologies develops innovation-driven businesses in the deuterium and hydrogen industries, serving global markets. KEY’s three main operating companies include: Hydrogen Optimized, a private hydrogen technology company that develops and commercializes the patent-pending RuggedCell™ water electrolysis systems for the large-scale production of Green Hydrogen; Isowater®, a world-leading supplier of deuterium oxide to global customers in the life sciences, high technology and environmental science sectors; and deutraMed™, a breakthrough deuterium science and innovation company that provides clients with high-value deuterium-containing products for specialized applications along with IP-driven research and services. For more information, please visit https://keydht.com.
About deutraMed Inc.
deutraMed™ is a breakthrough deuterium science and innovation company. We meet the growing demand for value-added deuterium-containing ingredients used mainly in the Life Sciences and High Technology sectors. We also provide research and services for next-generation deuterium products in partnership with our clients, and conduct IP-driven R&D for biopharma and bio-materials applications with support from a world-class Scientific Advisory Board. DeutraMed is a member of the KEY DH Technologies Inc. group of companies. For more information, please visit www.deutraMed.com.
For more information:
Don Hogarth
Phone: 416-565-8920
Email: don@hogarthpr.com