The early work on the rational design of Clostridium difficile toxin inhibitors based on inositol hexaphosphate analogs has been published in Cell Chemical Biology.
Our Clostridium difficile inhibitors are available for partnering and we are happy to discuss further details with interested parties. Please contact info@inositec.com for further information.
Zurich, Switzerland, 26 October 2018 – Inositec, a pioneer in the development of life-saving small molecule drugs based on myo-inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), announced today that INS-3001, a novel vascular calcification inhibitor, demonstrated the ability to significantly inhibit the calcification process in preclinical studies. The build-up of calcium deposits in arterial walls and cardiac valves lead to an increase in cardiac events, particularly in patients with chronic kidney disease. Data was presented in three abstracts at the American Society of Nephrology’s Annual Meeting Kidney Week 2018 (23-28 October).
“At present, there is no approved treatment for vascular calcification and affected individuals are left at great risk of experiencing cardiovascular events and death. The data we presented at Kidney Week shows that our novel vascular calcification inhibitor, INS-3001, possesses superior potency and pharmacokinetics to the natural IP6 molecule in terms of inhibiting vascular calcification. This suggests that INS-3001 could provide significant patient benefit if confirmed in clinical studies,” stated Dr. Mattias Ivarsson, CEO of Inositec. “We are now conducting our IND-enabling studies, with first-in-human studies scheduled to begin in 2019.”
Data Presented at Kidney Week
To develop a new class of inhibitors of vascular calcification, Inositec conducted multi-step syntheses, starting from protected myo-inositol species, involving selective PEGylation, phosphorylation or sulfation to build a library of novel IP6 analogs with improved drug-like properties. IP6 has previously been shown to be a potent inhibitor of calcification. Data presented from in vitro experiments showed that INS-3001 was superior to natural IP6 with regard to efficacy and stability in a serum calcification propensity assay. INS-3001 also had efficacy superior to IP6 in cell culture studies performed on primary human vascular smooth muscle cells treated with either calciprotein particles or calcification medium to induce formation of calcified deposits.
In rats, INS-3001 administration significantly blunted carotid calcification following vitamin D overdose, reducing the amount of calcium in tissues by a factor of two compared to controls while a numerical decrease was observed at the level of abdominal aorta. INS-3001 also showed a beneficial effect on the renal function of animals in this model.
The effect of INS-3001 was further evaluated in vitamin D-warfarin induced calcification in rats. In the abdominal aorta, significantly lower total calcium content was measured in the INS-3001 groups compared to the vehicle group following bolus subcutaneous dosing. The von Kossa positivity (area% of stained tissue representing the extent of calcification) of the abdominal aorta was also significantly lower in the INS-3001 groups compared to the vehicle group. The effects on both the total calcium and the von Kossa positivity were dose-dependent, and correlated with mortality. Similar reductions in total calcium content and area% von Kossa positivity were seen in the thoracic aorta, and the femoral and carotid arteries.
The uremic state appeared to significantly influence the rat plasma pharmacokinetics of INS-3001 after subcutaneous and intravenous administration, suggesting that uremia extended plasma exposure of INS-3001 without increasing peak plasma levels.
About Inositec
Inositec is pioneering the development of life-saving small molecule drugs based on inositol phosphate, a natural facilitator of diverse cellular functions. Using its broadly applicable InosituneTM technology to adjust the chemical and physical properties of inositol phosphate analogs, Inositec is developing a novel class of drugs currently focusing on high-unmet medical needs related to calcification disorders. Inositec was founded in December 2015 based on the award-winning research of Dr Mattias Ivarsson, Prof Jean-Christophe Leroux and Prof Bastien Castagner at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Further information can be found at www.inositec.com.
Contacts:
Inositec
Mattias Ivarsson
CEO and Co-Founder
+41 44 271 07 55
info@inositec.com
Halsin Partners
Mike Sinclair
+44 (0)20 7318 2955
msinclair@halsin.com
Links to posters:
Zurich, Switzerland, 18 January 2018 – Inositec, a pioneer in the development of life-saving small molecule drugs based on inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), announced today the appointment of Frits van Alphen, MD, as Chief Medical Officer.
Dr van Alphen has over 20 years of experience in clinical development and medical affairs, employed in roles of increasing responsibility. He has joined Inositec from Roche, where he headed the operational excellence team. He previously was Chief Medical Officer at Vifor Pharma, Head Medical Affairs Europe at Novartis as well as heading their Clinical Operations team in the Netherlands. Dr van Alphen has hands-on experience running Phase I to Phase IV studies across several therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and nephrology. As a physician, Dr van Alphen worked several years in anesthesiology and intensive care. Dr van Alphen earned his medical degree at Leiden University, the Netherlands.
“As CMO at Inositec, I have the golden opportunity to utilize my broad experience and entrepreneurial mind-set to develop new medicines. These innovative products have the potential to significantly advance patient care in vascular and other calcification disorders, all with high unmet medical need,” said Dr van Alphen.
“Dr van Alphen is a key addition to Inositec’s team as we enter IND/CTA-enabling studies with our lead program in the vascular calcification space and fine-tune our clinical strategy in view of first-in-human studies in 2019,” said CEO Dr Mattias Ivarsson.
Inositec is pioneering the development of life-saving small molecule drugs based on inositol phosphate, a natural facilitator of diverse cellular functions. Using its broadly applicable InosituneTM technology to adjust the chemical and physical properties of inositol phosphate analogs, Inositec is developing a novel class of drugs currently focusing on high-unmet medical needs related to calcification disorders. Inositec was founded in December 2015 based on the award-winning research of Dr Mattias Ivarsson, Prof Jean-Christophe Leroux and Prof Bastien Castagner at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Further information can be found at www.inositec.com.
Inositec
Mattias Ivarsson
CEO and Co-Founder
+41 44 271 07 55
info@inositec.com
Halsin Partners
Mike Sinclair
+44 (0)20 7318 2955
msinclair@halsin.com
We are proud to have won the Swiss Technology Award 2017. More information here (German).
BioCentury is featuring Inositec in this week’s emerging company profile. Read the article here (requires subscription).
Scrip Intelligence interviewed Mattias Ivarsson at BIO Europe 2016 in Cologne. The video can be found here.
Lead programs address unmet medical needs in vascular calcification and C. difficile infection
Zurich, Switzerland, 27th October 2016 – Inositec, a pioneer in the development of life-saving small molecule drugs based on inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), announced today the closing of a CHF1.4 million (US$1.42 million) seed financing. Investors participating in the round included VI Partners via the Venture Incubator fund and Zürcher Kantonalbank. The proceeds will be used to progress a drug candidate from Inositec’s proprietary Inositune platform through preclinical proof-of-concept.
“Inositol hexaphosphate is a naturally occurring substance that acts as a messenger in cells and is involved in multiple biochemical pathways,” explained Dr. Mattias Ivarsson, CEO of Inositec. “Using this molecule as a starting point, we have created a new class of compounds that have been specifically designed to address various therapy areas. Our programs address significant medical needs in vascular calcification and Clostridium difficile infection. This financing will enable us to advance a lead candidate from one of these programs through preclinical evaluation and ready for progression to clinical studies.”
In conjunction with the financing. Michael Wacker, PhD, was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Wacker is a serial entrepreneur, co-founding several companies including GlycoVaxyn and Limmatech. He also coaches start-ups in Switzerland for CTI, the governmental commission of technology and innovation.
“Inositec has made tremendous progress since its founding in December last year. I have been very impressed by the broadly applicable technology as well as the dedicated manner in which the team is building the company,” stated Dr. Wacker. “Inositec’s compounds have significant promise in multiple therapeutic areas where there is a great need for new, effective medicines. I look forward to working alongside the management team to help deliver on this huge potential.”
Inositec is pioneering the development of life-saving small molecule drugs based on inositol phosphate, a natural facilitator of diverse cellular functions. Using its broadly applicable Inositune™ technology to adjust the chemical and physical properties of inositol phosphate analogs, Inositec is developing a novel class of drugs initially focusing on two areas of high-unmet medical need: calcification disorders and Clostridium difficile infection. Inositec was founded in December 2015 based on the award-winning research of Dr Mattias Ivarsson, Prof Jean-Christophe Leroux and Prof Bastien Castagner at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Further information can be found at www.inositec.com.
VI Partners is a Swiss venture capital firm and advisor to Venture Incubator (VI). VI was established by McKinsey & Company and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ) in 2001. VI is an evergreen fund with a paid in capital of CHF 101m. The investors are 10 Swiss blue-chip companies from industry and finance. For further information visit www.vipartners.ch.
Inositec
Mattias Ivarsson
CEO and Co-Founder Partner
+41 44 271 07 55
info@inositec.com
Halsin Partners
Mike Sinclair
+44 (0)20 7318 2955
msinclair@halsin.com
Inositec has been short-listed together with 10 nominees for the deVigier prize. More info here.
29th March 2016
Mattias Ivarsson appeared in the Science and Healthcare category of the 2016 Forbes 30 under 30 European list.
1st March 2016
Mattias Ivarsson has a vision: he wants to keep a dangerous pathogen in check using an innovative approach. As a Pioneer Fellow, he is now taking his first steps on the path to making that vision a reality. Click here for the article (page 28)
9th December 2015