Verseon presented preclinical results in its hereditary angioedema program at the 2018 Biotech Showcase in San Francisco yesterday, January 9.
January 10, 2018
Verseon Corporation (‘Verseon’ or the ‘Company’)
FREMONT, Calif.-Verseon, a technology-based pharmaceutical company employing a computer-driven platform to develop a diverse drug pipeline, presented preclinical results in its hereditary angioedema (HAE) program at the 2018 Biotech Showcase in San Francisco yesterday, January 9. The data show that Verseon’s plasma kallikrein inhibitors are well-suited as oral treatments for this rare genetic disease.
HAE is characterized by recurring episodes of severe swelling, which can be life-threatening if they affect the airways. The disease is caused by a genetic defect which results in reduced activity of the C1-inhibitor protein, leading to the overactivation of several serine proteases and subsequent inflammation and edema. To treat this disease, Verseon is developing oral small-molecule inhibitors of plasma kallikrein, a serine protease central to the HAE pathway. The Company’s class of drug candidates spans multiple different chemotypes that show excellent in vitro potency and are selective against other related serine proteases.
In contrast to currently marketed therapeutics, which rely on intravenous or subcutaneous injections, Verseon’s drug candidates demonstrate pharmacokinetic exposure suitable for convenient oral dosing. Dr. David Kita, Verseon’s Vice President of R&D, also presented promising preclinical results that show strong reduction of swelling after oral administration in a well-established HAE efficacy model.
‘We are very encouraged by these results,’ said Dr. Kita. ‘We started the HAE program only recently, and have already demonstrated that our oral plasma kallikrein inhibitors have great potential for the effective management of HAE attacks. The next milestone this year will be the nomination of our first development candidate for advancement into clinical trials.’
About Verseon’s hereditary angioedema program
Verseon is developing small-molecule plasma kallikrein inhibitors for the treatment of hereditary angioedema. In vitro, the candidates potently inhibit plasma kallikrein and show selectivity against a broad range of related serine proteases. Lead compounds have shown efficacy in a well-established HAE efficacy model as well as pharmacokinetics suitable for oral dosing.
About Verseon
Verseon Corporation (www.verseon.com, AIM: VSN) is a technology-based pharmaceutical company that pairs a proprietary, computational drug discovery platform with a comprehensive in-house chemistry and biology workflow to develop novel therapeutics that are unlikely to be found using conventional methods. The Company is applying its platform to a growing drug pipeline and currently has four active drug programs in the areas of anticoagulation, diabetic macular edema, hereditary angioedema, and oncology. The anticoagulation program is scheduled to enter phase I clinical trials in 2018.
