This progressive neurological disease affects around 153,000 people in the UK.
Herantis Pharma has received €3.6 million in funding from Parkinson’s UK’s Virtual Biotech Programme and the Michael J. Fox Foundation to fund early-stage clinical trials and ongoing biomarker projects in Parkinson’s disease (PD).
The Phase 1b clinical trial is evaluating the tolerability and safety of HER-096 in patients with PD and collecting exploratory biomarker data for future clinical trials.
Parkinson’s, which affects around 153,000 people in the UK, is a progressive neurological disease that damages parts of the brain over time, causing tremors, slowed movements and stiff, inflexible muscles.
HER-096 has previously been tested in a study of 60 healthy participants and has been shown to be safe with no significant side effects.
The new trial, being conducted in Finland, aims to test the safety of HER-096 compared with a placebo by giving regular injections of the drug twice a week for four weeks to 24 Parkinson’s patients, while monitoring them for side effects.
The new drug has properties similar to brain dopamine neurotrophic factor, a large protein that helps damaged dopamine cells survive and recover, and is intended to protect and restore dopamine-producing brain cells lost in Parkinson’s disease.
The researchers will collect data from the study to identify optimal dosages to support larger clinical studies, and will also analyze blood samples and bodily fluids taken via spinal puncture to find evidence of whether the treatment is beneficially affecting brain cells.
Antti Vuorant, CEO of Herantis, commented: “This external validation of Herantis’ science recognizes the potential of HER-096 as a promising candidate for the treatment of PD.”
If successful, HER-096 could offer Parkinson’s patients a less invasive treatment to restore dopamine-producing brain cells destroyed by the disease.
“Disease-modifying treatments that can significantly slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease are a desperate unmet need for the millions of people living with this devastating disease,” explained Dr Arthur Roach, Director of Parkinson’s Virtual Biotechnology at Parkinson’s UK.
