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news.Netherlands has issued regulatory clearance for US-based biotech company Kineta to initiate a first-in-human trial of ShK-186, an autoimmune drug candidate that specifically inhibits the Kv1.3 potassium ion channel.
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ShK-186 is the first autoimmune drug to enter into the clinic, to develop an immune-sparing therapy for diseases like Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus, according to the company.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society chief research officer Tim Coetzee said it is particularly gratifying to see research supported by the Society progress to this stage.
"There is a clear, unmet medical need for new therapies to treat MS that have novel mechanisms of action and may offer freedom from the side effects that accompany broad suppression of the immune system," Coetzee added.
The initial phase 1a trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of a single dose of ShK-186 in up to 60 healthy volunteers.
Kv1.3 has been target of industry efforts for its role to instigate activation of effector memory T-cells, which are major mediators of autoimmune disease.
The Kv1.3 channel and ShK-186 have been developed by Kineta scientific advisor
and University of California, Irvine Professor, K. George Chandy and his collaborators.