Oxford biotechnology company Evox Therapeutics Ltd reported on Thursday that it has received funding,valued at GBP1.5m, Innovate UK and the Biomedical Catalyst Early Stage Award.

The company added that the funds will be used to support the pre-clinical development of an exosome-based therapy to treat argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA) in collaboration with University College London (UCL).

Following the funding, UCL will perform testing of Evox's exosome-based therapy in an in vivo ASL deficiency model.

ASA is a rare genetic urea cycle disorder characterised by deficiency or lack of the enzyme argininosuccinate lyase (ASL), which is central to two metabolic pathways: the liver-based urea cycle, which detoxifies ammonia and the citrulline-nitric oxide cycle, which synthesises nitric oxide from L-arginine.

According to the company, it is engineering body's natural vesicular delivery system exosomes to enable drugs to reach inaccessible tissues and compartments, crossing the blood-brain barrier to deliver drugs to the central nervous system, enabling intracellular delivery of biologics as well as allowing for extra-hepatic delivery of RNA therapeutics.

(USD1=GBP0.8)