IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO), the FTSE 250 investment company focused on science and technology businesses, has announced that portfolio company Istesso has begun dosing patients in a phase II trial of its lead drug candidate.
The study, named IST-03, is testing leramistat in patients with sarcopenia, a condition involving muscle loss, caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical evaluation will assess leramistat's effects on muscle quality, repair and function.
Sarcopenia represents a significant and growing unmet need across ageing populations and chronic diseases, with no specific pharmacological therapies currently available.
The trial follows earlier rheumatoid arthritis data showing leramistat improved disability and fatigue while reducing markers of muscle loss.
Preclinical studies also showed the drug restored muscle quality in disease models and recovered muscle mass and function in aged animals beyond levels seen in younger baseline animals.
Leramistat is the lead candidate from Istesso's class of Mitochondrial Complex I Modulators, compounds designed to trigger the body's own tissue repair and regeneration processes.
The drug class has shown effects across multiple tissue types, including muscle, bone, gut and lung.
Enrolment is underway at Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals, working with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, whose imaging and biopsy capabilities are suited to the trial's requirements.
Greg Smith, chief executive of IP Group, said the trial marked an important inflexion point for Istesso as it moved into phase II evaluation of its regenerative medicine approach.
He said the programme was backed by a consistent body of clinical and preclinical data, and that the ability to influence underlying tissue repair represented a differentiated and scalable opportunity.
Smith added that success in the trial would validate the approach and open up opportunities across large areas of unmet medical need.
IP Group holds an undiluted 56.5% stake in Istesso
