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Clinical validation of a novel non-opioid analgesic derived from the Portuguese sea for treating chronic pain

Project description

Innovative marine compounds-based analgesic for chronic pain

Chronic pain affects 100 million people across Europe alone, making it a leading cause of disability with profound impacts on quality of life. While opioid drugs are highly effective in treating pain, they carry the risk of addiction and other harmful side effects. Biotechnology company Sea4Us has developed Sea4Pain, a groundbreaking drug derived from marine compounds. Sea4Pain holds the potential to alleviate the suffering of billions globally. The EIC-funded Sea4Market project aims to clinically validate Sea4Pain through first-in-human trials and subsequently license the technology to swiftly penetrate the multi-billion euro chronic pain market. EIC support is crucial for the success of this high-risk, high-reward initiative.

Objective

Sea4Us is a world-class biotechnology company with a focus on translating marine-derived compounds with therapeutic potential for unmet medical needs into pharmaceutical assets. Sea4Us has developed a platform focused on drug discovery and development of novel pharmaceuticals based on its core expertise in ion channels and marine biology. Sea4Us is particularly focussed on developing and commercialising therapies for chronic pain.

Sea4Us has developed a ground-breaking therapeutic drug to treat chronic pain in patients. Chronic pain affects 100 million people across Europe, 1.6bn globally, and has a devastating impact on quality of life. Pain is the most common reason people visit their doctors and a leading cause of disability. It is a source of enormous social and economic burden, costing Europe alone over 500 billion Euros a year. There are many medications on the market for treating chronic pain, but they are either ineffective for most types of chronic pain and/or have adverse side-effects. Opioid drugs are the most effective treatment but also inflict drug addiction, habituation and other noxious side-effects. Our novel analgesic molecule, Sea4Pain, has a novel mechanism of action meaning it is highly effective at treating chronic pain and without any known side effects unlike current drugs on the market. Sea4Pain is a first-in-class drug and has the potential to ease the suffering of billions of people globally.

This EIC Accelerator project, called Sea4Market, will enable us to clinically validate our novel analgesic through completion of First-in-Human trials and out-license our technology to make a rapid entry into the multi-billion Euro Chronic Pain market. EIC support is essential to deliver this high-risk, high reward project and will enable the sustainable growth of our business. We will re-invest revenues from our licencing deal back into our project pipeline to solve other unmet medical needs and ensure the sustainable growth of our company.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-EIC-ACC-BF - HORIZON EIC Accelerator Blended Finance

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2023-ACCELERATOR-01

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Coordinator

SEA4US - BIOTECNOLOGIA E RECURSOS MARINHOS, S.A.
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 2 499 035,80
Address
PORTO DE PESCA DA BALEEIRA ARMAZEM 8
8650-368 SAGRES
Portugal

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Continente Algarve Algarve
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 3 570 051,25
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