KH176 published in Scientific Reports

Khondrion, a leading clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focusing on small molecule therapeutics for mitochondrial diseases, announced the publication of a scientific article reporting on the development and unique mode of action of KH176, a clinical-stage drug candidate for the treatment of mitochondrial diseases. The work was carried out by the Khondrion R&D team in collaboration with Inoviem Scientific and the Radboud University Medical Center. The results were published in Scientific Reports.

KH176 is an orally bio-available small molecule in development by Khondrion for the treatment of mitochondrial (-related) diseases. The present study reports on the early development and selection of KH176 as Khondrion’s lead candidate and further explains its mode of action in primary cells obtained from mitochondrial patients.

“Elevated Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels and a high sensitivity to redox-stress are two frequent cellular consequences in mitochondrial disease. Interestingly, we could demonstrate in several patient-derived cells that KH176 is an attractive candidate to correct both pathological phenotypes, illustrating its unique potential for this group of patients” says Dr. Julien Beyrath, Chief Operating Officer at Khondrion and first author of the study.

KH176 displays a dual mode of action, targeting both ROS and Redox disturbances. “Using cutting-edge target deconvolution technology, we could identify peroxiredoxin enzyme as the primary and novel target of KH176” added Dr. Beyrath. Research is ongoing to further unravel the exact molecular mechanism of interaction of KH176 with the peroxiredoxin enzyme, which will help the Khondrion R&D team to further improve their drug candidates. “The results presented highlight the potential of KH176 as a single molecule to be effective in a large group of heterogeneous mitochondrial diseases, but also other diseases with underlying ROS and Redox perturbations” adds Prof. dr. Jan Smeitink, CEO at Khondrion and last author of the study.

Bron: Khondrion