CELMATIX: PRECLINICAL MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT IN PREMATURE MENOPAUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Bernama) -- Celmatix Inc, a biotechnology company focused on ovarian biology, has announced the identification of a novel AMHR2 agonist compound that has demonstrated robust biological activity in multiple therapeutically relevant preclinical assays and a pharmacokinetic profile consistent with the desired product profile for an injectable drug.

The program, which was a product of Celmatix’s decade-long focus on identifying novel biomarkers and drug targets for women’s health, has a planned first clinical indication in the prevention of premature menopause in women undergoing chemotherapy.

“Demographically speaking, menopause is a relatively new phenomenon and is the result of medical breakthroughs that allow women to now routinely outlive their ovarian function,” said Celmatix founder and CEO, Dr Piraye Yurttas Beim in a statement.

“At Celmatix, we are committed to helping women maximise their health by optimising and extending ovarian function. Our team has worked for over a decade to uncover the molecular drivers of ovarian health and related conditions like infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and endometriosis.

“Through this work, it became clear to us that Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), the natural ligand of AMHR2, is a fundamental regulator of ovarian function, much like estrogen.

“Unlike estrogen, however, AMH cannot be purified from natural sources like urine or chemically synthesised, and previous attempts failed to generate recombinant AMH analogs with high specific activity or pharmacokinetic stability necessary for therapeutic applications.”

Meanwhile, Chief Scientific Officer of Celmatix, Dr Stephen Palmer said: “Our results demonstrate that our lead AMH analog has the desired in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters and causes the desired cellular signaling events in traditional ovarian follicular assays and regression of the Müllerian ducts in ex vivo urogenital ridge culture systems.

“Demonstrating high specific activity in both our target tissue (the ovary) and in the most well-established assay for AMH function gives us confidence to progress this program forward closer to the clinic.”

This announcement closely follows Celmatix’s achievement of the third milestone in its five-year, multi-target alliance with Evotec in January.

More details at www.celmatix.com.

-- BERNAMA