Hypericum LifeScience GmbH (HLS, www.hypericum-ls.com) is an Austrian Start up, founded in 2020 with the focus to develop a new treatment strategy for Glioma Grade III and IV (glioblastoma multiforme). HLS technology is based on a water soluble tumour fluorescent and light active dye (HHL-PVP) to enable Fluorescent Guided Surgery (FGS) in combination with Photo-Dynamic Therapy (PDT) which is subsequently applied to kill remaining tumour cells which were not been able to remove.
R&D:HLS has shown a Proof of Principle in subcutaneous and orthotopic tumour mouse model with patient derived glioblastoma cells and GBM cell lines, where HHL-PVP was administered to mice intravenously and the content of Hypericin determined using HPLC. Where HHL-PVP was targeted to the tumour and healthy brain had no detectable levels of Hypericin. Furthermore, light induced necrosis of tumours was also observed in subcutaneous models of GBM after administration of HHL-PVP intravenously.