A group of Sagres-based scientists has won much of the funding it needs to further develop the business plan for the development of a new analgesic solution for chronic pain
Sea4Us describes itself as a “biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of new pharmaceutical drugs based on novel marine compounds for unmet needs”.
It’s the ‘techy way’ of saying the business hopes to create pills without “the noxious effects” of current drugs available on the market – and it has impressed the EU programme Horizon 2020 enough to earn an SME (small and medium sized business) award.
Says Jornal do Algarve, the total cost of Sea4Us’ project is €71,429 – so the money will cover the bulk of upcoming expenses until the next phase of the project.
The company’s co-founder and director general Pedro Lima has told Sulinformação that besides the usefulness of the money, the award has given Sea4Us valuable prestige “because there is a lot of competition out there”.
Indeed, the monetary value is only part of the good news. Winning this prize for innovative businesses means Sea4Us will benefit from all kinds of spin-off perks that Lima believes will open new horizons.
The focus is on finding compounds in the sea off the Costa Vicentina to take the place of opioides like morphine which themselves carry so many harmful side effects, if not limit patients’ lives.
But as Lima stresses, the idea is “not to go to the sea and take, take, take. We observe nature”, he said, and remove “sufficient but small quantities” to create pure compounds which can then be developed with “non-invasive, non-polluting methods”.
The company’s website explains that the first lab-based research results “have clearly demonstrated the benefits of marine compounds in a series of pathologies, like chronic pain, and the huge potential of its derivate products in the health market”.
As for a time scale, the project, dubbed Sea4Pain, will start on May 1 this year and run through the summer to September 30.
To follow progress, Sea4Us has a Facebook page and website: sea4us.pt giving details of all the company’s projects.
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
