The highly competitive award from the CDMRP Toxic Exposures
Research Program will fund the development of EpicentRx's small
molecule, RRx-001 (nibrozetone), as a neuroprotective agent and
medical countermeasure against neurotoxic chemical
exposures.
TORREY
PINES, Calif., Sept. 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- EpicentRx and A/Prof.
Richard Gordon from the Queensland University of Technology's Translational
Research Institute (QUT-TRI) have been awarded funding from the US
Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research
Programs (CDMRP). The Translational Research Award, funded through
the CDMRP Toxic Exposures Research Program (TERP), will fund
research at both EpicentRx and QUT-TRI in Brisbane, Australia to enable bench-to-bedside
development of the proprietary EpicentRx small molecule radio- and
chemoprotector, RRx-001 (nibrozetone), as a medical countermeasure
for chemical exposures linked to neurodegeneration.
Growing evidence suggests that increased exposure to chemicals
from industrialization, and in occupations such as military
service, firefighting and farming, could be responsible for the
rising global incidence of neurological disorders such as
Parkinson's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Acute and
chronic exposures to specific classes of chemicals such as
pesticides, organophosphates, heavy metals and some solvents, have
been shown to directly and indirectly damage the central nervous
system to either trigger or worsen neurological decline.
In both clinical and preclinical studies, RRx-001 has been shown
to protect healthy cells from toxicity induced by radiation and
chemotherapy. Based on positive results in preclinical models, as
well as new insights into the drug's mode of action, the CDMRP TERP
award of $1.6 million for three years
will fund further development of RRx-001 and new formulations that
can effectively protect the central nervous system and gut-brain
axis from damage caused by chemical exposures.
"The unique pharmacological properties of RRx-001 and its broad
protective activity in the central nervous system make this drug an
excellent candidate for neuroprotection and deployment as a medical
countermeasure for acute and chronic chemical exposures," commented
co-PI Dr. Richard Gordon, an
internationally recognized neuroscientist and toxicologist.
"We are honored to be selected for this award from the U.S.
DoD," said Dr. Tony Reid, Chief
Executive Officer. "These non-dilutive funds will advance the
clinical development of RRx-001 as a potential treatment for
veterans that have suffered from the effects of neurotoxicity."
The CDMRP Translational Research Award will enable the next
phase development for RRx-001 and builds on ongoing work funded by
the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Shake It Up Australia Foundation and
FightMND to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of RRx-001 for
neurodegenerative diseases and its protective mechanisms of action
in the central nervous system.
About EpicentRx:
EpicentRx Incorporated is a privately held biopharmaceutical
company with two innovation-driven platforms of which nibrozetone
(RRx-001) and AdAPT-001 are the lead compounds, respectively. The
company's mission is disease remission, which it hopes to
accomplish with novel, well-tolerated therapies that target a
diverse range of unmet needs in cancer and non-cancer indications.
Nibrozetone (RRx-001), a multimechanistic small molecule, is
designed and currently under clinical investigation to
preferentially target diseased tissues like tumors even as it
shields normal cells from harm. A late-stage clinical trial named
KEVLARx is currently ongoing for protection against
chemoradiation-induced oral mucositis in first line head and neck
cancer. Learn more at https://www.epicentrx.com.
The work was supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Health Affairs endorsed by the Department of Defense, in the amount
of $1,599,985.00), through the Toxic Exposures Research
Program under Award Nos. HT9425-24-1-0982 and HT9425-24-1-0983. Opinions,
interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the
author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Assistant Secretary
of Defense for Health Affairs or the Department of Defense.
Media Contact:
Ashley Thomaz
Email: ashleyt@mcspr.com
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SOURCE EpicentRx, Inc.