PYC Therapeutics (ASX:PYC) says it has completed a key translational milestone for its RNA platform by determining safe and well-tolerated doses of its co-lead drug candidate in non-human primates.
The company said the results represent a major step towards first-in-human clinical studies for this program - the first potential therapy for patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa type 11 that addresses the underlying cause of the disease.
PYC Therapeutics (ASX:PYC) is combining two complementary platform technologies - RNA drug design capabilities and a proprietary drug delivery technology.
"Together they are being developed to create a new generation of RNA therapeutics to change the lives of patients with genetic diseases," said the company, adding its initial focus is on blinding diseases of the eye.
"PYC announces that it has obtained data for safe and well-tolerated doses of its co-lead drug candidate (known as VP-001) from a dose range-finding study in non-human primates (NHPs) to support continued non-clinical development of this program," said the company.
"The results represent a key step towards Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) toxicity studies (scheduled for Q1 2022) that will then support initiation of first in human studies for the Company’s Retinitis Pigmentosa type 11 (RP11) program."
According to chief development officer Dr Glenn Noronha, “These results from the NHP studies continue our approach of systematic evaluation of our dual technology platform of RNA therapies to treat eye diseases. Drug development requires that data are built from a foundation, layer by layer, and each step in this process provides information toward the potential for bringing therapies to patients. This is one such important step toward first in human clinical evaluation.”