Dennis Quaid, who hosts the short-form TV series Viewpoint, announced Thursday morning that he will partner with Defence Therapeutics to delve into scientific breakthroughs in the biotech industry.
Defence noted in a press release that the partnership will boost its reach to a larger audience and “create a compelling series” that sheds light on the biotech breakthroughs, potential applications and therapeutic innovations.
The actor, who starred in The Parent Trap and Footloose, started Viewpoint to highlight innovation across education, travel, aviation, business, technology and health — along with a variety of other topics. Some of the series’ health segments have explored innovations in COVID-19, addiction, depression and cognitive computing.
This collaboration with Defence will help jumpstart Viewpoint’s exploration on the biotech side and delve into the latest scientific research, clinical trials and therapies with a focus on Defence’s operations.
“Viewpoint will highlight how Defence Therapeutics and other companies in the industry are pushing the boundaries of scientific innovation to address unmet medical needs and improve patient outcomes,” the press release noted.
Defence is currently focusing its research and development efforts on mRNA cancer vaccines, cancer antibodies, drug delivery vehicles and its proprietary Accum technology.
In a recent video press release, Defence Therapeutics VP of research and development Moutih Rafei noted that the biotech is planning to launch three clinical trials in 2023.
“The excitement for Defence right now is considering the three clinical trials – they intend to start by the end of the year,” he said. “We believe these are inflection points that are quite important for the future development and growth of the company.”
Its pipeline currently consists of a cell vaccine (ARM) for solid tumors — and several small molecules (AccuTOX-001 and AccuTOX-IN001) for melanoma and breast cancer, as well as lung cancer, respectively.
The biotech is also in the process of developing a vaccine for cervical cancer and an mRNA vaccine for multiple indications, according to a February announcement.
Additionally, Defence Therapeutics plans to begin treating patients with its anti-cancer ARM vaccine in a Phase I trial in the fourth quarter of this year.
The biotech has been primarily banking on the use of its Accum technology platform, which the company says delivers drugs to the infected parts of cells at ten times the rate of current antibody-drug conjugate solutions.
