Strekin AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced the publication of key scientific data on efficacy and mechanism of action of its lead drug candidate, STR001, in preclinical models of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The research was led by Dr Anna Fetoni and Professor Gaetano Paludetti, ENT physician-researchers at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome. The paper “Pioglitazone represents an effective therapeutic target in preventing oxidative/inflammatory cochlear damage induced by noise exposure” was published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
“Through our work, we found that a single injection of STR001 into the middle ear is highly effective to promote restoration of hearing by rescue of auditory hair cells from noise-induced trauma in rats,” said Fetoni. “We were excited to find that STR001 has multiple beneficial effects, including significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in critically important cochlear structures. This is an exciting time in hearing research, and we believe that STR001 offers the opportunity to positively impact the lives of people suffering from sensorineural hearing loss.”
“Our strategy to explore new indications for approved drugs has led us to discover STR001 as a new potential therapy for sensorineural hearing loss,” said Dr Alexander Bausch, Strekin’s CEO. “STR001 is based on the antidiabetic drug pioglitazone, which has allowed us to move rapidly into clinical trials. We have a Phase 3 clinical trial of STR001 in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss called RESTORE currently underway in Europe. We received Orphan Disease Designation from the European Medicines Agency last year. This opens the possibility of an accelerated process to bring STR001 to patients in Europe, following successful completion of the trial.”
Original Paper: Paciello F, Fetoni AR, Rolesi R, et al. Pioglitazone represents an effective therapeutic target in preventing oxidative/inflammatory cochlear damage induced by noise exposure. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:1103.
Source: Strekin AG, Frontiers in Pharmacology
Image: Strekin AG
