Mireca Medicines Awarded Nearly $1 Million from the Foundation Fighting Blindness to Develop Treatments for IRDs
Mireca Medicines announced it has received a $989,000 'Translational Research Acceleration Program Award' from Foundation Fighting Blindness that will permit the company to further advance the preclinical development of its lead product MM238.
In a news release, the Foundation Fighting Blindness stated that recognizes Mireca’s leading contribution to unlocking the potential of targeting the cGMP pathway to treat inherited retinal diseases (IRD) like retinitis pigmentosa (RP), leber congenital amaurosis, and Stargardt’s disease.
A wide range of mutations in at least 30% of patients with IRDs trigger excess levels of cGMP, thus over-activating the enzyme protein kinase G (PKG) which further down the signaling cascade causes the loss of photoreceptors. Mireca has developed proprietary cGMP-analogs that inhibit PKG, thereby halting photoreceptor degeneration which preserves retinal structure and function.
During the TRAP project, Mireca will continue developing its proprietary lead program MM238, a cGMP-analog in a tailored PLGA-based formulation, which is protected by an intellectual property estate. The formulation has previously shown an intraocular retention and release profile that supports life-long patient compliance, according to Mireca. Product development and manufacturing will be followed by scientific advice meetings, safety, toxicology and translational proof-of-concept studies, all aimed at an investigational new drug (IND) filing.
Mireca said it may tap into the Foundation’s network across all research and development stages, especially by consulting Dr. Cheryl L. Rowe-Rendleman, a regulatory and clinical senior executive, who the Foundation Fighting Blindness has assigned as project mentor.
“Our research and development journey started with understanding the photoreceptor cell death mechanism. It took us through developing a novel class of small molecules that can regulate this disease pathway in combination with drug delivery formulations that are suitable for chronic ocular treatment. We have demonstrated proof-of-concept in preclinical IRD-models, with a favorable safety profile and tolerability window, and upscaled the small molecule manufacturing to GMP-grade," Prof. Francois Paquet-Durand, PhD, Mireca’s chief scientific officer, said in a company news release. "Being awarded with funds, network and mentoring from the Foundation Fighting Blindness to push our treatment approach further in its preclinical development is a significant reward and confirmation of our efforts. I am honored to be leading this TRAP project as principal investigator."