Percheron Therapeutics (ASX:PER) says preclinical data for its lead program, avicursen (ATL1102), further validates its pharmacological activity as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Avicursen is an antisense oligonucleotide that targets CD49d, a cell surface receptor implicated in white blood cells' adhesion, migration, and activity.
The drug has previously shown evidence of activity in a diverse range of inflammatory conditions, including positive clinical data in a phase II trial in multiple sclerosis and a Phase 2a trial in duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). An international phase IIb clinical trial in DMD is ongoing, with initial data expected in December 2024.
"This is very encouraging new data," said Percheron CEO Dr James Garner.
"Autoimmune epilepsy is a challenging disease with few treatment options, and a substantial proportion of patients are children. We look forward to discussing these results with clinicians and researchers over the coming months.
"This experiment has been part of a focused effort to identify potential additive opportunities for avicursen, with a view to expanding its use beyond DMD, and we are pleased to have seen a positive signal. In the meantime, the results are also very helpful in a broader sense, because they serve to further validate the pharmacological activity of avicursen and expand our understanding of the drug."
The company said it expects to share complete data at a future academic conference.
