Scienza e Tecnologia
Apaxen appoints Graham K. Dixon as Chairman and prepares for clinical testing of its lead inflammasome inhibitor
In addition, Apaxen expects to complete IND enabling pre-clinical testing of its lead NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor MFC-1040 by end of 2022 and aims to raise series B round financing by early 2023 to fund the clinical development plans of the company.
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Founded in 2018, Apaxen raised €5.4 million since its A round funding in 2019 from a syndicate of VC investors and with the support of the Walloon region to develop a pipeline of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors with a novel mechanism of action, for treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Apaxen's clinical candidate MFC-1040 is an orally bioavailable and selective small molecule NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, which has demonstrated efficacy in multiple animal models of chronic inflammatory disease ( and pulmonary fibrosis ( . MFC-1040 acts by blocking the interaction between intracellular Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) and NLRP3 to inhibit formation of NLRP3 inflammasomes (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04581-2), key drivers of innate immunity and implicated in many inflammatory and auto-immune diseases. The novel Mode of Action of MFC-1040 has potential benefits for patients over other NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors in clinical development.
The Apaxen team combines the experience required for clinical development of its products and is supported by a world-class team of scientific advisors.
Bart Wuurman, CEO
T: +31 64 66 23 735
E: bart.wuurman@apaxen.com
48, Rue Auguste Piccard,
B-6041, Gosselies, Belgium
www.apaxen.com
Leon Melens
T: +31 6 538 16 427
E: lmelens@lifespring.nl
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1860923/Apaxen_Logo.jpg