IRLAB Receives Grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation to Support Development of IRL757 for the Treatment of Apathy
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2023 / IRLAB Therapeutics (STO:IRLAB-A)(FRA:6IRA) Gothenburg, Sweden, December 21, 2023 – IRLAB Therapeutics AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: IRLAB A), a company discovering and developing novel treatments for Parkinson’s disease, today announced that the company has entered into a grant agreement with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) and has been awarded funding amounting to over USD 2 million (exceeding SEK 20 million). In addition, MJFF provides support and access to leading expertise with extensive experience within Parkinson’s disease. The grant will be used to conduct the first-in-man Phase I clinical study of IRL757, a drug candidate in development as a novel treatment of apathy. An effective treatment for apathy, both in Parkinson’s disease and in other neurological disorders, can transform the lives of millions of people who today are left without an effective treatment.
The grant was awarded under MJFF’s program ‘Parkinson’s disease Therapeutics Pipeline Program.’ This program seeks to advance preclinical and/or clinical testing of promising therapeutic developments that address unmet medical needs in people with Parkinson’s disease. The program is set up to benefit therapeutics with clear potential to prevent, stop, or delay disease progression or to reduce the burden of daily symptoms.
“The Michael J. Fox Foundation is always looking for ways to address the unmet needs of people with Parkinson’s. IRLAB’s novel approach to treating apathy has the potential to alter an impactful symptom for people affected by Parkinson’s – both patients and families – offering relief where it is currently difficult to find. We look forward to seeing this research progress,” said MJFF’s Senior Vice President of Clinical Research Catherine Kopil, PhD.
“We are grateful to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for their recognition of our work and their generous support. We see this grant as an expression of confidence in our innovative approach to tackling unmet needs, including apathy, in Parkinson’s disease. With MJFF’s support, we are positioned to advance IRL757 through a crucial Phase I study. It is exciting to have support from the highly reputed MJFF organization,” said Gunnar Olsson, CEO, IRLAB.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) is the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s research and is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson’s disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson’s patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors, and volunteers.
The drug candidate IRL757 has completed all preclinical studies and development work necessary to start Phase I. The clinical trial application (CTA) to be submitted to the regulatory authority is currently being prepared. More information will be shared as the program progresses.
This information is information that IRLAB Therapeutics is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 2023-12-21 11:15 CET.
About IRL757
The drug candidate IRL757 is being developed as a treatment for apathy in Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. Apathy, a widespread and debilitating issue, affects over 20 million people in the U.S. and Europe alone without a currently available treatment. The prevalence is high, occurring in 1.1-4 million people (20-70 percent) being treated with Parkinson’s in the eight major markets (China, EU5, Japan, and the US), and in 4.9-6.7 million people (43-59 percent) being treated for Alzheimer’s disease in the ten major markets (Canada, China, EU5, Japan, South Korea, and the US).
RL757 has the potential to become the first treatment for apathy. IRL757 has shown promising results in various preclinical models, which assess different aspects of cognitive function and motivation. The observed efficacy of IRL757 is thought to be linked to its unique ability to reverse disruption in cortical to sub-cortical nerve signaling, a key factor believed to contribute to apathy in neurological disorders. IRL757 is considered Phase I ready as all preclinical studies and development work necessary to start Phase I is completed. A clinical trial application (CTA) to start a Phase I study is currently in preparation.
About IRLAB
IRLAB is discovering and developing a portfolio of transformative therapies targeting all stages of Parkinson’s disease. The company has its origin in Nobel Laureate Prof. Arvid Carlsson’s research group and the discovery of a connection between the brain’s neurotransmitters and CNS disorders. Mesdopetam (IRL790), in development for the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesias, has completed Phase IIb and is in preparation toward Phase III. Pirepemat (IRL752), is currently in Phase IIb, being evaluated for its effect on balance and fall frequency in Parkinson’s disease. In addition, the company is also progressing the three preclinical programs IRL942, IRL757, and IRL1117 towards Phase I studies. The pipeline is driven by IRLAB’s proprietary systems biology-based Integrative Screening Process (ISP) research platform. Headquartered in Sweden, IRLAB is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (IRLAB A). For more information, please visit www.irlab.se.
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