CLINUVEL (ASX:CUV) has commenced dosing in a new preclinical study evaluating its proprietary controlled-release liquid injectable peptide formulation, VLRX-L.
The platform, developed in-house at the company’s Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) Centre in Singapore, represents the first of a series of controlled-release technologies to progress into preclinical evaluation.
The VLRX-L platform has been designed to control the release of peptide-based drugs, including CLINUVEL’s suite of melanocortin compounds, via a flexible, reproducible liquid formulation. The current preclinical study will assess the platform’s safety and pharmacokinetic profile using in vitro models, with the objective of demonstrating consistent, controlled drug release over time.
According to the company, preliminary results from the study are expected in the second half of 2026.
VLRX-L is the first platform emerging from over a decade of research into peptide chemistry, polymer science, and delivery system design.
The announcement follows the December 2025 expansion of the VALLAURIX facility, backed by a five-year investment plan and financial support from the Singapore Economic Development Board. The expansion is focused on advancing injectable controlled-release technologies and includes the addition of new state-of-the-art laboratories and an increase in specialist staff.
CLINUVEL’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Dennis Wright, described the progress as a significant milestone in the Group’s translational research efforts.
“Through extensive preliminary work and iterative innovation, we have arrived at a VLRX-L candidate platform that has demonstrated encouraging, reproducible results in vitro,” Dr Wright said. “The platform now needs to be challenged in in-vivo models to understand how it may ultimately deliver therapies for patients.”
He noted that if early results are successful, the company will explore pathways to scale and commercialise the technology, using the platform to broaden its proprietary pipeline.
“Long-term, the goal is to establish a suite of delivery platforms for melanocortins, and other peptides, which meet the diverse needs of a range of patient groups, addressing some of the challenges of technologies currently offered on the market,” Dr Wright said. “It is exciting that we can now start to unveil the work of our VALLAURIX team and our ambitions for the next generation of CLINUVEL’s products.”