Clinical stage biotechnology company Hexima (ASX:HXL) has announced its chief operating officer Dr Nicole van der Weerden presented data on its compound pezadeftide to the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Pezadeftide, which was formerly known as HXP124, is a potential new prescription topical treatment for onychomycosis.
Pezadeftide is the first in a new class of anti-microbials. Hexima said it rapidly enters fungal cells and causes a rapid mitochondrial response that results in hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane.
"Fusion of the vacuoles and production of reactive oxygen species are observed prior to disruption of the plasma membrane and cell death," it said.
In her presentation, Dr van der Weerden said, “First, pezadeftide’s novel fungicidal mechanism of action promises a fundamentally different approach to treating onychomycosis which has proven difficult to treat with traditional topical medications and secondly this new mechanism offers the potential to avoid resistance pathways which have developed to other agents and which represent a significant challenge to global public health.”
Hexima CEO Michael Aldridge said, “We are pleased to have been invited to present pezadeftide’s novel activity at AAD. Pezadeftide’s powerful and broad spectrum anti-fungal mode of action, together with its unique ability to rapidly penetrate human nail underscores its potential as a new and powerful treatment for onychomycosis. Hexima is proud to be a leader in the global race to identify new solutions to the challenge of anti-microbial drug resistance.”