DiaKine said that the partnership would approach treating diabetes in a new way by preserving or restoring the patient's own insulin-producing cells.
The first drug in the pipeline is Lisofylline (LSF), an immune modulating compound that has reversed type 1 diabetes in mice in combination with another agent. LSF is a synthetic small molecule, with anti-inflammatory properties, that blocks autoimmune damage to insulin-producing cells.
“Our arrangement with AdPharma accelerates our drug development process, and as a partner, provides a creative and non-dilutive means to advance our pipeline,” said Keith Ignotz, CEO and president of DiaKine.
DiaKine plans to take its immune modulator, LSF, to arrest diabetes and restore insulin production into a phase II proof of principal clinical trial and then collaborate or license it to a large pharmaceutical company for further development and commercialization.