PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) announces that the Company’s research collaboration with UniQuest and The University of Queensland has led to the filing of two new patent applications for cyclic peptides and their use in pain management.

The Patent Applications follow from PreveCeutical entering into a research agreement in 2018 (see news release dated January 30, 2018) with UniQuest, UQ’s commercialisation company. The research includes the application of UQ’s disulphide linker technology to potentially develop non-addictive analgesics.

The two new Australian Patent Office patent files are:

1. Australian Patent Application No. AU2019/900226, entitled “A Cyclic Peptide” filed January 24, 2019; and,
2. Australian Patent Application No. AU2019/900292, entitled “A Cyclic Peptide” filed January 30, 2019.

PreveCeutical’s President and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Mak Jawadekar stated: “I am pleased by the two new Australian patent applications which are based upon PreveCeutical’s research collaboration with UQ and UniQuest. We are incredibly excited by our partnership with UniQuest and the intellectual property arising from the non-addictive analgesics program at UQ. The research program aims to develop a non-addictive alternative to opioid painkillers by developing cyclic peptides. Opioid-based pain treatments such as morphine, codeine and fentanyl activate the mu opioid receptor, which can be highly addictive. This research provides a potential mechanism for pain treatment without activating that receptor. An additional potential advantage of the cyclic peptides is their enhanced metabolic stability and more importantly oral bioavailability, meaning that they could be taken orally rather than intravenously.”

UQ School of Pharmacy researchers, Associate Professor Peter Cabot and Dr. Harendra (Harry) Parekh are leading the two-year research program into the peptides and their potential application as a treatment for pain.

UniQuest CEO, Dr. Dean Moss stated: “The patent applications represent an important milestone in our relationship with PreveCeutical and follow the entry into three other research agreements with PreveCeutical in recent years, including an agreement to stabilise peptides isolated from scorpion venom for use in immune-boosting applications; an agreement for the development of a new formulation to deliver cannabinoids directly to the central nervous system via the nasal cavity; and an agreement for a gene therapy to treat diabetes and obesity.”

About PreveCeutical

PreveCeutical is a health sciences company that develops innovative options for preventive and curative therapies utilising organic and nature identical products.

PreveCeutical aims to be a leader in preventive health sciences and currently has five research and development programs, including: dual gene therapy for curative and prevention therapies for diabetes and obesity; the soluble gel drug delivery research and development program; Nature Identical^™ peptides for treatment of various ailments; non-addictive analgesic peptides as a replacement to the highly addictive analgesics such as morphine, fentanyl and oxycodone; and a therapeutic product for treating athletes who suffer from concussions (mild traumatic brain injury).

About UniQuest

UniQuest is Australia’s leading commercialisation entity, specialising in commercialising the intellectual property of The University of Queensland, a global top 50 university. UniQuest benchmarks in the top tier of technology transfer worldwide.