Redirecting the Immune Response for Better Outcomes

Development of medications to treat substance use disorders has focused on neurotransmitter systems with only limited success, and there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for methamphetamine addiction.

Methamphetamine alters peripheral and central immune functions, and activates immune factors such as cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules that play a role in the development and persistence of methamphetamine-induced cognitive deficits and mood disorders.

Studies indicate that neuroimmune-targeted therapies, such as DRhQ, have the potential to treat methamphetamine use disorder. VBD has been awarded over $10M in NIH funding to develop DRhQ for this indication, including IND-enabling studies and Phase I/II clinical trials in collaboration with OHSU.

MS is a chronic autoimmune disease caused when the body triggers a destructive immune response to myelin, the protective sheath surrounding axons (nerve fibers). MS is highly episodic and flares up from time to time — this is the primary characteristic of the Relapsing-Remitting form of disease (RRMS).

Ultimately, more than 70% of patients no longer return to a normal baseline after a flare-up and instead experience a steady decline and increasing disability. This is the Secondary-Progressive form of disease (SPMS) — the area of greatest unmet medical need being addressed by Artielle.

Artielle completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase I dose escalation study of RTL1000 in MS patients across six cohorts (2mg–200mg). The primary endpoint was met and a maximum tolerated dose was established. Artielle is now preparing its second-generation molecule, DRhQ, for clinical trials.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Inflammation into the affected brain tissue is a major contributor to the onset and progression of stroke.

Currently, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) remains the only FDA-approved drug for ischemic stroke, and there is a crucial unmet need for new drugs. DRhQ reduces infarct volume and neurological deficits in cerebral ischemia models and has the potential to reduce stroke injury and improve recovery.

The incidence of melanoma is increasing and new melanoma treatments are of critical importance. While new classes of immunotherapy treatment have positively impacted advanced melanoma outcomes, there are few treatment options for patients whose cancer develops resistance.

Artielle constructs may increase survival time in a metastatic melanoma model and in intradermal local tumor models. DRhQ could fill a critical unmet need for the treatment of resistant melanoma and potentially other cancers by redirecting the immune system.

In cancer models, DRhQ can potentially reduce tumor cell viability and promote tumor immunity, offering a differentiated mechanism compared to existing checkpoint inhibitors.