NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Specialty drug discovery company, Innovimmune Biotherapeutics Holding, LLC presented data at the XXI World Congress of Neurology in Vienna, Austria (September 22-24, 2013) that demonstrated robust efficacy in preventing multiple sclerosis [MS] in a preclinical mouse model following treatment with its proprietary oral small molecule Retinoic acid receptor-related Orphan Receptor ROR gamma (t) [ROR gamma t] modulators from their INV-17 portfolio.
The abstract titled "EAE Disease Prevention by a Potent Oral ROR gamma t Inverse Agonist INV-17: A Promising Safe & Efficacious MS Treatment" showed that MS was successfully prevented and the compound was well tolerated in INV-17-treated mice: http://www.jns-journal.com/article/S0022-510X(13)01638-9/abstract. Prophylactic INV-17 treatment prevented disease development in the murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis [EAE] model. The superior therapeutic efficacy of INV-17 demonstrated significantly lower clinical scores with minimal cumulative EAE (3.3 ± 3.3; p < 0.01) and clinical area under the curve [AUC] scores (3.00 ± 3.00; p < 0.01), in striking contrast to control vehicle-treated mice, all of which developed severe EAE (27.9 ± 6.2) and high clinical AUC scores (26.50 ± 6.28).
"This is a remarkable finding in that a novel therapeutic approach targeting pathogenic T helper 17 [TH17] cells provides superior preclinical efficacy. These results, which demonstrate disease prevention in the absence of toxicity, may provide a novel disease-modifying treatment strategy with an oral INV-17 drug to patients with MS and other TH17-mediated autoimmune diseases," said Daniel M. Rosenbaum, MD; Professor of Medicine and Chair, Department of Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
ROR gamma t is the master regulator of human TH17 cells that play a critical role in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases. The development of INV-17 clinical lead compounds is being fast-tracked concurrently for potential therapeutic applications in multiple ROR gamma t-regulated autoimmune diseases with significant unmet medical need.
"We believe our best-in-class ROR gamma t inhibitors will provide significant treatment advancement in several autoimmune disease indications. Establishing our first preclinical Proof of Concept in MS is an important development milestone for the INV-17 program. Such early therapeutic promise in preclinical MS supports the fast-tracked development and therapeutic utility of INV-17, not only in MS, but also for other autoimmune diseases," said Anderson Gaweco, MD, PhD, CEO of Innovimmune.
ABOUT INNOVIMMUNE
Innovimmune Biotherapeutics Holding, LLC is a New York City-based specialty drug discovery and exploratory development biotechnology company leading the development of novel first-in-class and best-in-class proprietary oral small molecule New Molecular Entity immunomodulatory drugs for the treatment of autoimmune and immunoinflammatory diseases.