Akthelia Files New Patent Following IN-ARMOR Licensing Agreement

Akthelia Pharmaceuticals has filed a new UK patent application, marking an important milestone in the expansion of the company’s innovation pipeline.

The patent filing follows the signing of a licensing agreement in December with partners in the Horizon Europe IN-ARMOR project. The collaboration focuses on the discovery and optimisation of novel immune-modulating small molecules, together with Enamine, a Ukrainian contract research organization (CRO) specializing in medicinal and synthetic chemistry, the University of Iceland, and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Under the agreement, Akthelia has an exclusive, worldwide licence to the intellectual property generated within the project, enabling efficient progression of discoveries toward clinical development.

The newly filed patent protects several new classes of immune-modulating small molecules emerging from IN-ARMOR research. While specific chemical details remain confidential, the invention builds on Akthelia’s host-directed therapeutic platform and supports the company’s focus on diseases linked to impaired epithelial barrier function, serious bacterial infections, and inflammatory conditions. The compounds covered by the patent show activity relevant to innate immune regulation and cellular pathways involved in immune and barrier responses—mechanisms increasingly recognised as important where conventional antimicrobial approaches are limited.

The IN-ARMOR project (Horizon Europe Grant Agreement No. 101080889) brings together academic and industrial partners to develop therapies that strengthen the body’s natural defences and reduce reliance on antibiotics. This patent filing represents a key step in translating consortium research into innovations with potential real-world clinical impact.