AdAlta Limited, the clinical stage drug discovery company developing novel therapeutic products to treat challenging diseases in fibrosis and oncology today announced their support of Bill Van Nierop’s Long Kayak for Lungs 2.
The 1400km kayak, which seeks to raise much-needed funds for lung disease research, will see 70 year old double lung transplant recipient Bill Van Nierop traverse the Murrumbidgee River, starting this coming Monday, August 28.
Bill’s drive to raise funds for lung disease research is one deeply understood by AdAlta. The company’s lead i-body candidate, AD-214, is being developed to treat human fibrotic diseases for which current therapies are sub-optimal and there is a high unmet need, as is the case with lung fibrosis. Along with its support of the Long Kayak for Lungs 2, AdAlta is strongly urging anyone who can to donate in support of Bill’s important cause.
AdAlta CEO and Managing Director, Dr Tim Oldham, said he jumped at the opportunity to support Bill in this important cause. “At AdAlta, we’re acutely aware of the struggles those battling lung fibrosis face every day. Their quality of life is severely impacted by the challenges they must overcome. This is why we are so passionate about our work at AdAlta. Our mission is to develop new treatments, such as AD-214, that can help mitigate these symptoms. So we didn’t think twice about supporting Bill in this incredible endeavour.
“That this is the second kayak Bill has done to raise awareness of the need to support lung disease research is even more impressive. His persistence and drive to push through his own medical challenges is inspiring, and we couldn’t be prouder to support him. We would really like to see those who are able to join us in supporting Bill by donating to do so. Lung diseases research is an important cause, and by collectively supporting Bill in the Long Kayak for Lungs 2, we can all make a difference.”
Bill Van Nierop said: “Thanks to The Prince Charles Hospital and my incredible medical team there, I have been given a second chance and I’m not going to waste it. There are families across Australia who are affected by lung disease every day and I’m going to do my part to spread support and to do some good for those families.
“Lung disease is very tough to live with mentally. I’ve received comments from people such as, ‘you don’t look sick enough’ or ‘you must have been a smoker’, and it had a real effect on my mental health. I hope that by stepping (and paddling) forward with my kayak, and raising my voice as a patient, I can help influence social change, as well as raising funds for crucial medical research.”
Approximately 1,250 people are diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) each year with countless more affected by broader lung disease. The Long Kayak for Lungs 2 hopes to raise $48,000 which will support 1000 hours of IPF and transplant research via The Common Good, an initiative of The Prince Charles Hospital.
Bill will begin the Long Kayak for Lungs 2 in Jugiong, New South Wales, on August 28. He’s expected to complete his journey at Balranald approximately four weeks later. To learn more about the Long Kayak for Lungs, visit longkayakforlungs.com.au, and to donate visit tcg.org.au/support-bill.
About us:
About AdAlta
AdAlta Limited is a clinical stage drug development company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The Company is using its proprietary i-body technology platform to solve challenging drug targeting problems and generate a promising new class of single domain antibody protein therapeutics with the potential to treat some of today’s most challenging medical conditions.
The i-body technology mimics the shape and stability of a unique and versatile antigen binding domain that was discovered initially in sharks and then developed as a human protein. The result is a range of unique proteins capable of interacting with high selectivity, specificity and affinity with previously difficult to access targets such as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that are implicated in many serious diseases. i-bodies are the first fully human single domain antibody scaffold and the first based on the shark motif to reach clinical trials.
AdAlta has completed Phase I clinical studies for its lead i-body candidate, AD-214, that is being developed for the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and other human fibrotic diseases for which current therapies are sub-optimal and there is a high unmet medical need. AdAlta has a second target in discovery research, also in the field of fibrosis and inflammation.
The Company is also entering collaborative partnerships to advance the development of its i‑body platform. It has a collaboration with Carina Biotech to co-develop precision engineered, i-body enabled CAR-T cell therapies (i-CAR-T) to bring new hope to patients with cancer. It has an agreement with GE Healthcare to co-develop i-bodies as diagnostic imaging agents (i‑PET imaging) against Granzyme B, a biomarker of response to immuno-oncology drugs, a program now in pre-clinical development.
AdAlta’s strategy is to maximise the products developed using its next generation i-body platform by internally discovering and developing selected i-body enabled product candidates against GPCRs implicated in fibrosis, inflammation and cancer and partnering with other biopharmaceutical companies to develop product candidates against other classes of receptor, in other indications, and in other product formats.
Further information can be found at: https://adalta.com.au
Contact details:
IR Department
Tel: +61 450 608 022
E: jack.mclintock@irdepartment.com.au