Antisense Therapeutics (ASX:ANP) has announced it is exploring clinical development opportunities for ATL1102 in other indications where inflammation plays a key role in disease progression.
The company said this follows the recent positive readout from the phase 2 trial of ATL1102 in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). It said the trial affirmed the safety and immunomodulatory activity of the drug on CD49d T cells in the blood with clinical benefits on muscle strength and function.
ATL1102 is an antisense inhibitor of CD49d. Antisense inhibition of CD49d expression has demonstrated activity in a number of animal models of inflammatory disease including asthma, arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS).
The company said ATL1102 has previously been shown to be effective in reducing MS inflammatory brain lesions in a phase 2a clinical trial. The company has an Investigational New Drug application (IND) with the US FDA clearing ATL1102 for use in a phase 2b clinical trial in MS patients at the same 25mg per week dose that has shown activity in the DMD trial.
The company said it is consulting with clinical experts on the appropriate next steps for clinical development in MS while also re-engaging with pharmaceutical companies to discuss potential partnering opportunities. It is also exploring the use of ATL1102 in other neuroinflammatory and muscular dystrophy disorders.