Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) was discovered by the Italian neurobiologist, Professor Rita Levi-Montalcini, and her colleague Dr. Stanley Cohen. For this discovery, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986 (1). Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) is an endogenous protein involved in the differentiation and maintenance of neurons. In their research, Drs. Levi-Montalcini and Cohen uncovered that NGF plays a crucial role in the proliferation, differentiation and survival of sympathetic and sensory neurons (1).
At Dompé our goal is to improve the lives of patients living with challenging conditions. We strive to focus on areas of high unmet medical need. 2010 was a momentous year when Dompé acquired the rights to research NGF. Following several years of research, our committed team of scientists developed a recombinant protein of human Nerve Growth Factor (rhNGF). It is produced using an innovative process that was developed to create a stable form of the NGF protein, by taking specific sequencing of NGF and forming the final molecule in prokaryotic cells. These bacteria then produce a recombinant protein, which is structurally identical to the NGF protein we then developed a production process that could produce the recombinant protein on an industrial scale.
The complex production process of this biotech drug was set up at our L’Aquila production site in Italy. The production process requires a team of highly skilled technicians and biotechnologists to manufacture rhNGF. A key challenge in the process is ensuring that the active ingredient is kept at very low temperatures within specially designed cold stores. Therefore, we also set up a cold chain to ensure that once produced, the drug is distributed to patients in containers kept at -20°C.
We are currently investigating applications in other ocular diseases (2,3). Our success in ophthalmics is only a stepping stone for rhNGF-based applications. We are now exploring potential opportunities to treat other diseases. We have expanded our research efforts into neurotrophins, including manufacturing, formulation, and administration, to better understand their potential for patients. We believe that continuous improvements can evolve into meaningful therapeutic innovations.
Life sciences are radically improving the chances of treatment, even for diseases that have yet to find therapeutic answers. Thanks to new knowledge of biotechnology, ever-increasing computing power and the advancement of artificial intelligence, we will be able to respond to patients' needs even faster.
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The discovery of new drug molecules is pivotal to identifying novel therapeutic strategies. But drug discovery is a slow and articulated process with an extremely high failure rate. At Dompé, we have developed the virtual screening platform Exscalate to accelerate the drug screening process.
