RXi Pharma's Anti-Scarring Drug Shows Potential In Study
RXi Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that utilizes RNA-targeted technologies, announced positive results for its investigational anti-scarring drug RXI-109 in a dose range finding study.
RXI-109 is an sd-rxRNA designed to target the mRNA of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a gene responsible for modulating fibrosis and scar formation. The drug demonstrated high safety and tolerability in initial clinical trials in ascending single and multiple doses respectively. RXI-109 was initially developed for the reduction or inhibition of scar formation in the skin after surgery.
As part of the dose-range finding study, RXI 109’s impact was assessed in CTGF protein levels in the eyes of cynomolgus monkeys. Results show that the drug reduced CTGF protein-levels in a dose-dependent manner in the retina as well as in the cornea tissue. CTGF has been implicated in fibrotic disease and scarring in the retina, and is often expressed during corneal wound healing. CTGF reduction could be a potentially significant step towards reducing scarring of the cornea.
Dr. Geert Cauwenbergh, president and CEO of RXi Pharmaceuticals, said that the results give a major boost to the value of the company’s newly established ophthalmology franchise. “Not only do these data confirm that RXI-109 lowers CTGF protein levels in a dose dependent manner in the retina of non-human primates, but it also demonstrates that, with an intravitreal injection of RXI 109, sufficient compound migrates to the cornea to lower CTGF protein levels in that eye tissue as well. This finding opens up an avenue to possibly develop topical forms of RXI 109 to combat corneal scarring which often occurs secondary to trauma or infection and can lead to visual impairment, including blindness.”
Two Phase II clinical trials are currently ongoing to investigate RXI-109 on the outcome of scar revision surgeries performed on hypertrophic scars from lower abdominal surgeries and in healthy patients who undergo elective surgical excision of two similarly sized and placed keloids.