Inflammasome Therapeutics completes enrollment of Phase I PK/Safety for K9
Inflammasome Therapeutics has completed enrollment of a Phase I PK/Safety study of its new brain- and retina-penetrant drug, K9.
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Inflammasome Therapeutics has completed enrollment of a Phase I PK/Safety study of its new brain- and retina-penetrant drug, K9. This drug has potential applications in treating patients with neuroinflammatory, degenerative diseases. These diseases may include Alzheimer disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson disease, and geographic atrophy (GA). The treatment may also be used in the treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases such as lupus and thyroid eye disease.1
Paul Ashton, PhD, CEO and cofounder of Inflammasome Therapeutics noted in the company’s press release1 that these diseases are linked to inflammasomes, saying, “These diseases all involve a type of inflammation called inflammasome activation, and the activation of 2 specific inflammasomes catalyzes the progression of these diseases. K9, taken as a tablet, penetrates the brain and retina and blocks both inflammasomes. Drugs that block a single inflammasome have been found to have only moderate or no efficacy in models of MS and macular degeneration; we have seen dramatically superior results with our Kamuvudine molecules that block multiple inflammasomes.”
Jayakrishna Ambati, PhD, Inflammasome Therapeutics’ co-founder pointed to data as to why Kamuvdines are important to this potential treatment, saying, “Our data reveal that Kamuvudines have disease-modifying potential by targeting inflammation directly in the central nervous system as well as in the periphery.”1
Inflammasome Therapeutics expects to begin further clinical trials of the K9 drug later in 2024.1
In addition to the K9 therapeutic in development, the company’s K8 dual inflammasome inhibitor entered clinical trials earlier this year for GA. K8 is delivered via a sustained delivery implant that is injected directly into the eye and releases minute but effective amounts of drug for 3 months.1
