Jun 15, 2020 in Diagnostics, Press Releases

Infectious Disease Oral Screening Test Advancement

Vancouver, Canada (June 15, 2020) – XPhyto Therapeutics Corp. (CSE:XPHY / FSE:4XT / OTC:XPHYF) (“XPhyto” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned German subsidiary, Vektor Pharma TF GmbH (“Vektor”), has successfully incorporated peptide biosensors into its oral dissolvable thin film (“ODF”) platform. XPhyto and its diagnostic partner, 3aDiagnostics GmbH (“3a”), are developing pathogen-specific ODF biosensors for infectious diseases, including pandemic threats.

“Successful incorporation of 3a’s peptide biosensors into Vektor’s ODF platform represents a significant technical milestone on the pathway to commercialization,” said Hugh Rogers, CEO of XPhyto. “This was a critical step that unlocks a pipeline of potential biosensor screening products.”

3a has developed peptide-based biosensor screening tests for bacterial and viral infectious diseases, including influenza A, scarlet fever, stomatitis, periimplantitis, and periodontitis. Additional pandemic-focused biosensors are in planning and development, specifically for COVID-19 (corona virus), H1N1 (swine flu), and H5N1 (avian flu). Positive detection of the respective pathogen results in enzymatic release of an extreme (but safe) bitter compound. On April 20, 2020, XPhyto announced a definitive development, technology purchase and licence agreement with 3a for the development and commercialization of real-time, low-cost and easyto-use ODF screening tests using 3a’s biosensors.

With formulation development and ODF incorporation complete, Vektor and 3a are reviewing ODF optimization priorities such as: placement (i.e. tongue vs cheek), size, dissolvability timeline (i.e. 1-2 minutes), and taste. Vektor has commenced strategic planning for pilot-scale EU GMP test-manufacturing for use in clinical evaluation.

On June 10, 2020, XPhyto announced that 3a and their contract research collaborators received a €254,200 grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (“BMBF”). Proceeds of the grant are committed to the development and commercialization of enzyme activated biosensors for use in real-time, low-cost and easy-to-use oral screening tests for the rapid detection of influenza A virus and specific variants that are high-risk pandemic threats such as H1N1 and H5N1. The parties will continue to pursue additional opportunities for non-dilutive funding for infectious disease screening test development.

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