University Court of the University of St. Andrews

Pneumagen Limited

Garry Taylor

Helen Connaris

Peter Andrew

Richard E Randall

Hasan Yesilkaya

The present disclosure provides novel adjuvants which may be used in combination with one or more antigens to augment, modulate or enhance a host immune response to the one or more antigens. The adjuvants are based on sialic acid binding molecules and may be combined with any type of antigen. The adjuvants may be formulated for mucosal and/or intranasal administration.

Adjuvants

The disclosure provides molecules with an affinity for (or an ability to bind to), sialic acid, for use in compositions, medicaments and methods for the treatment of sepsis, its symptoms and sepsis associated pathologies and immune responses.

Treatment and/or prevention of sepsis

The present invention is based on the finding that in addition to interfering with or blocking, preventing and/or inhibiting the interaction between a pathogen and, for example, a sialic acid containing cell surface receptor, certain sialic acid binding molecules have immunomodulatory properties. The invention provides methods and uses which exploit sialic acid binding molecules in the treatment and/or prevention of disease by modulation and/or priming of the host immune response.

Immunomodulatory compounds

The present invention provides compounds, compositions, medicaments and methods comprising or using carbohydrate binding molecules. More specifically, the invention provides a means of treating diseases and/or conditions caused or contributed to by pathogens, particularly microbial pathogens and methods of screening, identifying, detecting tagging and/or labelling carbohydrates.

Growing community of inventors

St. Andrews, United Kingdom

Garry Taylor