Irvine, California-based Qnovia, Inc. has secured a worldwide exclusive license to a preclinical antimicrobial peptide, designated D8, from the University of Virginia Licensing & Ventures Group, expanding the company beyond smoking cessation into antimicrobial therapeutics while its lead RespiRx program advances through clinical development.
The agreement formalizes a research collaboration between Qnovia and UVA's Hughes-Crawford group that began in 2023. Under the license, Qnovia receives worldwide exclusive rights to develop and commercialize D8 across all disease indications and routes of administration. The company said it will determine the optimal delivery approach during an initial development phase that will include preclinical studies to support an IND filing. Financial terms were not disclosed.
D8 is described by UVA as acting through a mechanism distinct from conventional antibiotics, with early laboratory and animal data indicating activity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens and biodefense threat agents across respiratory, bloodstream, skin, and soft-tissue infection settings. The specific molecular target has not been disclosed publicly.
The timing connects directly to Qnovia's clinical trajectory. The company dosed its first Phase I patient for its RespiRx nicotine inhaler program in January 2025, and reported positive Phase I results in February 2026, including cigarette-comparable nicotine delivery. Positive clinical data from the RespiRx inhalation platform could also support confidence in inhaled delivery technologies that may be applicable to future D8 development, should the company pursue that route.