As it prepares to advance its lead RNA editing candidate, AIR-001, into a phase I/II trial for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Airna Corp. Inc. closed an oversubscribed $155 million series B financing less than a year after completing its series A round. The company, based in Cambridge, Mass., with research operations in Tübingen, Germany, focuses not only on repairing harmful genetic variants found in rare genetic disorders, but also on introducing beneficial variants that improve health in common conditions.
GRI Bio Inc.’s oral version of tazarotene is showing phase IIa promise in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The peek at interim safety with the compound, a RAR-βɣ dual agonist designed to inhibit the activity of human type 1 invariant natural killer T cells, consisted of a preplanned analysis of two-week results in the biomarker study. GRI-0621 at 4.5 mg once daily proved safe and well-tolerated in the first 12 patients.
Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. has described kallikrein 5 (KLK5; KLK-L2) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of allergy, asthma, cancer, conjunctivitis, dermatological disorders, gastrointestinal conditions, inflammatory disorders and rhinitis, among others.
It was a mixed day for Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., which disclosed separately on March 28 both the termination of a $336 million licensing deal with CS Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and upbeat plans to unveil three new oncology assets at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research in April.
Tribune Therapeutics AB has raised €37 million (US$40 million) in seed and series A funding to advance a portfolio of therapies targeting central drivers of scar tissue formation.
Haisco Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. has described lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPAR1; EDG2) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, systemic sclerosis, benign prostate hyperplasia, multiple sclerosis, neuronal injury and neuralgia.
Scientists from F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. have patented NLRP3 inflammasome and interleukin-1β (IL1B; IL-1β) release inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Asthma affects about 300 million people worldwide. Inflammation in asthma may drive irreversible airway remodeling due to subepithelial fibrosis, extracellular matrix degradation and increased smooth muscle cell mass levels, among others. In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to test MutT homolog 1 (MTH1) as a therapeutic target in allergic airway inflammation.
Several lung conditions, such as acute lung injury, require the targeted delivery of pharmacological agents to the lower lung. However, the administration of complex biologics, such as anti-inflammatory cytokine mRNA, to the injury site in the lower lungs is particularly challenging, frequently leading to poor specificity and uneven distribution.
Brainomix Ltd. raised £14 million ($18 million) in a series C financing round to expand its AI-powered imaging solution, Brainomix 360 Stroke, into the U.S. market. Funds will also go towards advancing the Brainomix 360 E-Lung, which can accurately predict the progression of lung fibrosis. “This series C round is a vital fundraise for us,” Michalis Papadakis, CEO and co-founder of Brainomix, told BioWorld. “We are in a growth stage where we want to bring this next generation of stroke AI into the U.S. market.”
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