Qu Biologics’ Immunomodulator Clears Senescence

(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) BURNABY, British Columbia, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qu Biologics Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs), a novel immunomodulation platform designed to restore innate immune function, is pleased to report exciting data demonstrating that its QBECO immunomodulator lowers a key indicator of senescence in the liver of animals with established obesity.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Jonathan Schertzer, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Metabolic Inflammation and is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University.

Senescent cells stop dividing but don't die, and cellular senescence has been implicated in the development of a wide range of chronic diseases and disease processes, including obesity, cancer, aging, inflammation, fibrosis, Alzheimer's disease, fatty liver disease, and diabetes.

As demonstrated at McMaster University, Qu's QBECO immunomodulator substantially reduced the most widely used biomarker of cellular senescence in the liver of mice with fatty liver disease.

“QBECO treatment was associated with lower senescence-associated beta-galactosidase, an important biomarker of senescence. Lower senescence after QBECO treatment was correlated with lower liver fat infiltration and less inflammation and fibrosis in the liver, suggesting that clearance of senescence may play an important role in QBECO clearance of fatty liver disease after QBECO treatment,” said Dr. Hal Gunn, CEO of Qu Biologics.

Dr. Gunn added,“Given QBECO SSI's novel immunological mechanism and the growing interest in the role of senescence in the progression of aging and chronic disease, these data suggest that clearing senescence may be an additional health restorative mechanism of Qu's immunomodulators.”

“Qu's immunomodulators are designed to restore innate immunity to clear many important underlying causes of disease,” stated Dr. Shirin Kalyan, Qu Biologics' VP Scientific Innovation.“Innate immune cells play an essential role in clearing the build-up of dysfunctional senescent cells, and we found that QBECO reduced an important biomarker of senescence in the livers of mice with established obesity and this reduction was correlated with lower measures of fatty liver disease. This suggests that QBECO may provide a novel mechanism to clear senescence.”

Dr. Jonathan Schertzer, an internationally-recognized researcher in the fields of metabolic health and inflammation, stated,“It is exciting to investigate new mechanisms to understand and potentially treat fatty liver disease. Senescence has been implicated in aging, chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and many chronic diseases. This is early exploratory data, but it has potential implications beyond fatty liver disease.”

As Dr. Kalyan notes,“What is exciting to me is the many ways in which Qu's immunomodulators' unique mechanism clears important underlying causes of disease to, not simply treat disease, but to restore health. Qu's SSIs provide a very different way of thinking of the treatment of disease, by focusing on health and health restoration.”

For more information about Qu Biologics and the science behind SSIs, please visit .

About Qu Biologics
Qu Biologics is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSI), a novel class of immunomodulators designed to restore innate immune function in targeted organs to reverse the immune dysregulation underlying many important diseases including cancer, chronic inflammatory diseases, metabolic disease, and infection. Qu Biologics has completed four Phase 2 studies in lung cancer, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. Two additional Phase 2 randomized placebo-controlled studies, in late-stage colon cancer and immunosenescence, are actively enrolling.

Backed by a prestigious group of scientific advisors and board members, Qu Biologics is led by a management team that includes co-founder and CEO Dr. Hal Gunn, a physician and expert on the body's immune response to chronic disease; Chief Medical Officer - Oncology Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, former CEO of the BC Cancer Agency and a distinguished clinician, scientist and leader in cancer control in Canada and internationally; and Chief Medical Officer – Infectious Disease Dr. Ted Steiner, a clinician-scientist specializing in immune responses to infections and Head of the UBC Division of Infectious Diseases. For more information, please visit .

For more information regarding this press release, contact:

Hal Gunn, MD
CEO
Qu Biologics Inc.
Phone: 604.734.1450
Email: ...

Qu Biologics Inc. cautions you that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are only predictions based upon current expectations and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of release of the relevant information, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, Qu Biologics' forward-looking statements due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in Qu Biologics' business including, without limitation, statements about: the progress and timing of its clinical trials; difficulties or delays in development, testing, obtaining regulatory approval, producing and marketing its products; unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of its products that could delay or prevent product development or commercialization; the scope and validity of patent protection for its products; competition from other pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies; and its ability to obtain additional financing to support its operations. Qu Biologics does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law.

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