Xention welcomes funding for atrial fibrillation r&d
Xention, the Cambridge, UK-based biopharmaceutical firm specialising in the discovery and development of ion channel-modulating drugs, has received substantial funding from the Wellcome Trust to support pioneering work on a target for atrial fibrillation.
Xention, the Cambridge, UK-based biopharmaceutical firm specialising in the discovery and development of ion channel-modulating drugs, has received substantial funding from the Wellcome Trust to support pioneering work on a target for atrial fibrillation.
The award, made under Wellcome's Seeding Drug Discovery initiative, will provide up to £3m to fund Xention's IKACh programme over a period of three years. IKACh is the acetylcholine-activated potassium current encoded by the Kir3.1/3.4 ion channel genes and is an emerging ion channel target for the development of drugs for atrial fibrillation. IKACh is expressed only in the atria, and its inhibition is expected to maintain sinus rhythm in patients who have experienced episodes of atrial fibrillation.
Xention will develop small molecule, orally active inhibitors of IKACh for assessment in in vivo models and subsequent progression into clinical development.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia. It currently accounts for significant healthcare expenditure mainly as a consequence of the increased risk of stroke that results from the disease. IKACh represents a novel and innovative approach in the search for a solution to this problem.