Starpharma is a world leader in the development of nanotechnology-based pharmaceuticals and, through its US-based subsidiary Dendritic Nanotechnologies (DNT), a range of life-science and industrial uses.

Starpharma is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: SPL)and its securities also trade in the US under the American Depository Receipts (ADR) program (OTCQX: SPHRY).

Starpharma’s lead development candidates are based on dendrimer nanotechnology. Dendrimers are man made, nano-sized compounds with unique properties that make them useful to the health and pharmaceutical industry as both enhancements to existing products and as entirely new products. Dendrimers are constructed by the successive addition of layers to the branching groups. Each new layer is called a generation. The final generation incorporates the surface molecules that give the dendrimer the desired function for medical, electronic, chemical and materials applications.

Starpharma aims to create value through the commercialisation of its proprietary products based on dendrimer nanotechnology both directly and through DNT.

Much of Starpharma’s value comes from its opportunities for substantial revenues from three key areas:

VivaGel^® (SPL7013 Gel):
The most advanced product in Starpharma’s pipeline, VivaGel^®, is being developed as a vaginal microbicide to prevent transmission of genital herpes and HIV. This is a mass-market application in both developed and developing countries. VivaGel^® is also under development as a condom coating and has been shown to possess potent contraceptive activity in animals.

Additionally, Starpharma has selected the human papillomavirus (HPV) as the third disease area under investigation following encouraging pre-clinical data.

Other Medical and Life Science Applications:
Starpharma is assessing in-house leads in fields such as cancer, ophthalmology, arthritis and targeted diagnostics. DNT provides additional avenues of commercialisation in drug delivery, transfection reagents and contrast agents for medical imaging such as MRI. It is expected that returns in these areas will come primarily from licensing rights issued to third parties.

Industrial Applications of Dendrimers:
DNT is exploiting opportunities for industrial applications of dendrimers as specialty chemicals. Dendrimers may have applications in the electronics, oil and plastics industries.