Redx Pharma PLC (AIM:REDX) said it presented encouraging data at an event in Copenhagen that supported its Porcupine and ROCK inhibitors as potential novel treatments for cancer-associated fibrosis.
The clinical-stage biotechnology company delivered two presentations at the inaugural Extracellular Matrix Pharmacology Congress (ECM) in Copenhagen, which highlighted the novel preclinical research performed by the company and academic collaborators.
“The encouraging data sets presented at the ECM Congress demonstrate the potential of our proprietary molecules to address hard-to-treat cancers and fibrotic diseases, including cancer-associated fibrosis,” said Dr Richard Armer, chief scientific officer of Redx.
Collaboration partner, Professor Marina Pajic of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia, presented the Porcupine inhibitor RXC004 and ROCK2 selective inhibitor data showing that targeting fibrosis associated with pancreatic cancer led to increased survival in mouse models.
In the second presentation, Head of Inflammation and Fibrosis at Redx, Dr Peter Bunyard, presented data supporting RXC008, a gastrointestinal-targeted ROCK inhibitor, as a potential first-in-class treatment for fibrostenotic Crohn's disease.
The results, from a research collaboration between Redx and scientists at Belgium's Ghent University, assessed the preclinical efficacy of RXC008 based on an MRI scan to determine fibrotic changes in the colon.
The study highlighted that RXC008 has the potential to be the first pharmaceutical treatment for fibrostenotic Crohn's disease, reducing or replacing the need for repeated and debilitating surgical interventions - the only treatment currently available for patients - and that MRI scans could be used to monitor the effectiveness of new treatments without the need for invasive biopsy.
Phase 2 clinical trials for RXC004 started last November and a Phase 1 clinical trial for ROCK2 inhibitor product candidate, RXC007, started this month.
The company expects to start Phase 1 clinical studies for RXC008 next year.