T1D Fund project posts positive results in potential disease modifying therapy
ImmunoMolecular Therapeutics, Inc. (“IM Therapeutics”), a leading innovator in the field of medicine for autoimmune diseases, launched a Phase 1b study of its drug, IMT-002, as a multiple ascending dose trial. The study is in patients who have type 1 diabetes (T1D), and who also have a specific genetic trait known as HLA-DQ8, present in about 60% of T1D patients. Variants in certain genes called human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are known to play a strong role in activating an autoimmune response.
The Phase 1b trial will enroll 30 patients between the ages of 18 and 45 (who live in the United States) and will compare drug versus placebo for safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profiles over the two-week duration of dosing and a follow-up one week after dose completion. In addition, the study will assess pharmacodynamic activity with a blood-based assay that measures the ability of IMT-002 to block presentation of “self-antigens” or the body’s own proteins, such as insulin, that can result in autoimmunity.
The completion of the phase 1 study in both healthy people and those with T1D demonstrated favourable safety findings. The results indicate a strong possibility of eventually having a once-daily oral therapy for patients with recent diagnosis of T1D, more than half of whom are children. The drug also has the potential to help patients with other autoimmune conditions, including celiac disease and arthritis.
Launched in December 2016, the T1D Fund was established to create a new investment market aimed at delivering solutions to people living with or at risk of developing T1D.
It is now one of the largest disease-focused venture philanthropy funds in the world, with $100M in assets and works to leverage private investment to secure the billions needed to generate cures. Thank you to remarkable support we have received from Canadian donors to advance the work of the T1D Fund.
