Trophos wins funding for cholesterol-oxime projects
Trophos, a French clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for indications in neurology and cardiology, has been awarded funding of nearly Euro 7m for two projects associated with its cholesterol-oxime class of compounds.
Trophos, a French clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for indications in neurology and cardiology, has been awarded funding of nearly Euro 7m for two projects associated with its cholesterol-oxime class of compounds.
The European Commission has awarded a three-year grant of nearly €6m to support a collaborative project called MitoTarget, which will be carried out by a consortium led by Trophos.
MitoTarget will investigate the efficacy and safety of Trophos compound TRO19622 in a clinical study in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients, and develop the understanding of mitochondrial dysfunction and therapeutic potential of a novel proprietary class of molecules in neurological diseases.
A further €800,000 will come from France's Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (ANR) to study the potential of its proprietary cholesterol-oxime compounds in in-vivo models of multiple sclerosis (MS). The two-year collaborative project called MS-Repair, will seek to establish preclinical proof of principle for Trophos proprietary compounds in models of MS.
The company is also increasing the focus of its development programmes on neuroprotection and cardioprotection. Trophos has a novel and proprietary cholesterol-oxime based pipeline of drug candidates that enhance the function and survival of stressed cells via modulation of dysfunctional mitochondria, through interactions at the permeability transition pore (mPTP).
The company said it has halted a phase IIa study of TRO19622 in diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) because the primary endpoint of the trial was not met. It will also halt an exploratory study in a liver condition, Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis (NASH), due to high variability in the pre-treatment values for the primary end-point.
In addition, the company has announced cost reductions in all areas to reduce operating expenses as it refocuses its resources on the greatest value-creation opportunities, such as the projects for which it has received funding.