Qnovia has secured a worldwide exclusive license from the University of Virginia Licensing & Ventures Group for D8, an antimicrobial peptide designed to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections.
The agreement expands Qnovia into a second therapeutic area alongside its existing smoking cessation program.
D8 uses a mechanism that differs from conventional antibiotics and has demonstrated activity in early laboratory and animal testing against multidrug-resistant pathogens and biodefense threat agents.
Qnovia said the candidate could potentially address severe respiratory, bloodstream, skin and soft-tissue infections.
The company has collaborated with the Hughes-Crawford research group at the University of Virginia since 2023.
Under the license, Qnovia receives exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize D8 across all disease indications and delivery methods.
The company will evaluate potential delivery approaches during the initial development phase and conduct preclinical studies intended to support an investigational new drug application.
Qnovia cited projections from the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance Project estimating that drug-resistant bacterial infections could cause 39 million deaths by 2050.
The company also cited estimated global costs from 2019 of $693 billion in hospital expenses and $194 billion in lost productivity associated with antibiotic-resistant infections.
Qnovia’s lead smoking cessation program, RespiRx, is an inhaled nicotine replacement therapy.
KEY QUOTES:
“What separates this peptide from existing antibiotics is that it doesn’t allow bacteria to evolve and adapt. It works through a mechanism that’s fundamentally different.”
Mario Danek, Founder and CEO of Qnovia
“Partnering with Qnovia gives peptide D8 a strong path out of the lab and to patients current antibiotics can’t help.”
Matthew Crawford, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Virginia
