First patient dosed in study of dual inflammasome inhibitor for diabetic macular edema
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Key takeaways:
- K8 inhibits NLRP3 and NLRP4, inflammasomes believed to be responsible for diabetic macular edema disease progression.
- Previous research has indicated this class of drugs may help treat an array of degenerative conditions.
Inflammasome Therapeutics announced that the first patient has been dosed in its phase 1 study of K8, a novel dual inflammasome inhibitor for treatment of diabetic macular edema.
“This marks the second clinical study for our Kamuvudines, and both are utilizing our newly designed sustained release implant system that will allow the drug to be released directly at the retina at a predetermined release rate,” Paul Ashton, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Inflammasome Therapeutics, said in a company press release. “We initially are targeting a time period of 3 months.”
The 24-week study led by Michelle Avou-Jaoude, MD, from the University of Kentucky, will enroll five patients to assess the safety and efficacy of K8, a derivative of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor administered locally through a sustained-release implant. Primary measures include mean changes in central subfield thickness and best-corrected visual acuity and adverse events.
According to the release, K8 inhibits both NLRP3 and NLRC4, inflammasomes believed to be responsible for the inflammatory processes that contribute to diabetic macular edema disease progression. Previous research led by Inflammasome Therapeutics co-founder Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, has demonstrated the role of inflammasomes in a host of ophthalmic conditions as well as degenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
“In diabetic eye disease, metabolic stress (from diabetes) causes upregulation of various inflammasomes that then cause inflammation, which leads to retinal damage and swelling,” Ambati said in the release. “Current therapies target the swelling but our drug is the first to target multiple inflammasomes.”
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