Guest Blog: Phaim Pharma - World Diabetes Day

What does the company do?

Phaim Pharma is focused on developing therapeutics and diagnostics for autoimmune disease via Antigenic ImmuneModulation (AIM).  We have a flagship product in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) which has the potential to arrest the disease process and be preventative. We look to recapitulate the healthy regulatory T cell balance of the immune response such that we prevent and treat the autoimmune process. 

Nara Daubeney, COO of Phaim Pharma, says:
“Recapitulating the normal mechanism by which the body learns self-tolerance is they keystone to disruptive treatments in autoimmune disease.”

How does the biotechnology work:

We have a platform approach to autoimmunity which in the case of T1DM, will recapitulate the normal regulatory immune response, preventing the onset of T1DM in the prediabetics, and allowing the benefit of cellular therapies viable treatment in the established T1DM patient population.  The platform has means of identifying target antigens in other autoimmune diseases too, such as psoriasis and we would look to producing a number of other therapies after our successful T1DM trial.  Furthermore, with our proprietary diagnostic kit, we will be able to predict who is likely to get T1DM and in what time frame.  By doing so, we will be able to potentially treat before the disease develops and look to ameliorate the need for insulin, and with it the huge health-economic burden of managing T1DM. In short, our AIM (antigenic immunemodulation) means we can predict, prevent and potentially treat those type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune conditions. 

Nara explained:
“We have to have the right antigenic target, at the right dose, admnisitered the right way to ensure efficacy.  This treatment equipoise is the key to successful therapy in autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes.”

How has it been used so far:

Pre-clinical studies have shown that like-for-like insulin treatment, those treated with Phaim Pharma proprietary drug demonstrate normalisation of blood sugars in diabetic models.

Nara added:
“We have teamed up with world-class companies with deep knowledge in this sector to bring a best-in-class medical therapy as a real alternative to insulin for people with T1DM.  Our team is based throughout the UK with decades worth of experience in the industry.  We believe this virtual approach allows us to select the best companies to work with at each stage of drug development.”

The future

Our AIM therapy is not immune suppressive and does not affect the rest of the immune system other than parts responsible for direct autoimmunity.  As such it can be used, in prevention, even before the disease is manifest. 

Nara said:
“It is particularly exciting to have a predictor kit whereby we are able to pick up people even before they show any clinical signs of type 1 diabetes.  Potentially, we could then use our AIM therapy to stave off the onset of T1DM, hoping to prevent the need for insulin.”