According to a story from news.cision.com, the Swedish biotechnology company Cyxone recently announced positive results from the company’s phase 1 clinical trial. This trial was testing the tolerability and safety characteristics of the company’s investigational drug candidate, T20K. This therapy is being developed as a treatment for multiple sclerosis. Cyxone is focused on the development of treatments for autoimmune diseases.
About Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease which is characterized by damage to the myelin sheath, a fatty, insulating, protective covering that surrounds nerve cells and allows them to communicate effectively. Although a precise cause has not been determined, multiple sclerosis is considered an autoimmune disease, in which a certain trigger, such as an infection, may cause the immune system to mistakenly attack healthy tissue. Smoking and certain genetic variants are also considered risk factors for the disease. Symptoms include blurred vision, double vision, blindness in one eye, numbness, abnormal sensations, pain, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, difficulty speaking and swallowing, mood instability, depression, loss of coordination, and fatigue. There are a number of treatments available for the disease, but no cure. Life expectancy for patients is slightly reduced. To learn more about multiple sclerosis, click here.
About The Trial
The results of the study were favorable for the continued development of T20K. There were no serious adverse events reported in the trial, which was the first instance that the treatment was administered in human subjects. The trial consisted of a single cohort of 8 volunteers. In phase 1 trials, the human subjects are healthy and are not disease patients. There were plans for a second cohort that would take a larger dose, but the findings from the first cohort rendered an additional one unnecessary.
The participants were treated with a .005 mg/kg dose and this was sufficient to gather pharmacokinetic data (how the body processes the drug). Evidence of drug activity at such a low dose highlights the potential of T20K; the company plans to continue development of an orally active formulation.
About T20K
T20K is designed to be administered in a preventative manner to multiple sclerosis patients, and Cyxone hopes that the drug will be able to prevent symptom relapse and delay progression of the disease. This is in contrast to most current therapies for the illness, which are intended to be used after symptoms appear.
