Alpha1H

Our drug candidate Alpha1H kills tumor cells quickly, both in the laboratory and in animal models and in treated patients, where the response can be measured already within a few hours. The mechanism of action has been studied in detail and the results have been published in reputed international journals.

Alpha1 is the N-terminal domain of alpha-lactalbumin, a naturally occurring milk protein and component of HAMLET. Oleic acid is the naturally occurring lipid cofactor for HAMLET and Alpha1H.

  • Alpha1H forms the Alpha1H complex by binding to oleic acid.
  • Alpha1H kills a number of different cancer cells.
  • Alpha1H inhibits tumor development in a bladder cancer model.
  • Alpha1 can be produced synthetically in large quantities.
  • Alpha1H treatment has a very good effect against bladder cancer in clinical studies.
  • Alpha1H has been analyzed for toxicity in detail by external experts and no toxicity has been detected when treating healthy animals.

Uptake of Alpha1H complex by a tumor cell

Alpha1H attacks the cell membrane from the outside, enters the tumor cells and quickly migrates into the cell nucleus, where vital functions are inhibited in cancer cells. Along the way, Alpha1H encounters several different parts of the cell machinery and activates apoptosis; an important form of cell death that is not toxic to surrounding tissues. The molecular effects can also be read in animal models and in treated patients, with methods such as RNA sequencing and visualization of the tissues with high-resolution technology after staining for specific markers.

The Alpha1H complex is made of a peptide (shown in green) and lipid (magenta) constituents. Treatment of tumor cells derived from human lung carcinoma with Alpha1H show the uptake of both the components of the complex. The uptake of the complex leads to rounding of the cells resulting in transcriptional shutdown and cell shedding.

Manufacturing of Alpha1H

Hamlet Pharma is collaborating with Rechon Life Science for the production and formulation of the drug candidate Alpha1H. Rechon Life Science AB is a manufacturer approved for pharmaceutical supply worldwide, including the US. Together with Hamlet Pharma, Rechon has established a large scale Alpha1H production technology. Production is carried out in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).