Stromedix said that the compound is the second Stromedix pipeline asset to be sourced from the laboratory of Dean Sheppard at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Preclinical research suggests that avß5 plays an important role in a variety of acute and chronic organ failure settings.
The company stated that a research in Sheppard’s lab has identified a critical role for avß5 in regulating endothelial barrier function, suggesting that an antibody to avß5 may have value in acute organ failure settings associated with vascular leakage.
However, other studies suggest a role in for avß5 in activating the pro-fibrotic cytokine TGFß and promoting fibrosis.
Dean Sheppard said that their research indicates that avß5 antibody might have value in treating acute and chronic organ failure.
Stromedix founder and CEO Michael Gilman said that their clinical development strategy uses a proprietary biomarker database to discover the biologically active dose of an anti-fibrotic agent in the context of a small, short-term trial.
"We are excited to be able to leverage what we’ve learned in the STX-100 program to the avß5 antibody and to build a pipeline of valuable biologic drugs to treat chronic and acute organ failure, Gilman said."