ACTaNet project will focus on chronic bone pain in arthritis and cancer initially leveraging anti-netrin-1 antibody NP137
January 19th, 2023
Lyon, Copenhagen and Stockholm — NETRIS Pharma, a clinical-stage private biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs based on dependence receptor biology, today announced that a consortium of leading European academic institutions and biotech companies have been awarded a €1.2 million Eurostar grant for ACTaNet. The ACTaNet project aims to generate preclinical proof-of-concept (PoC) for NP137, NETRIS Pharma’s lead product, as a high-potential drug candidate for the treatment of arthritis and metastatic bone cancer related chronic pain. NP137 is an antibody therapeutic that targets netrin-1, a protein ligand over-expressed in many cancers.
The consortium gathers unique experience and knowledge in the field of pain-related indications from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, University of Copenhagen in Denmark, CRCL in France as well as biotechnology expertise in the field of biomarkers (Nordic Bioscience) and preclinical and clinical development of drugs (NETRIS Pharma).
ACTaNet aims to demonstrate the efficacy of NP137 against chronic pain caused by bone-associated cancer and arthritis in preclinical models and subsequently advance the drug candidate towards the Investigational New Drug (IND) application. In addition, the project aims to validate relevant non-invasive translational biomarkers, such as collagen fragments, that may be used as a tool for better understanding of treating chronic pain, as well as to predict and monitor the efficacy of NP137.
« We are very pleased to be part of this collaboration. Pain is a common and debilitation symptom of joint and bone disorders and an important unmet medical need » said said Anne-Marie Heegaard, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen.
« The members of the consortium are uniquely positioned with complementary expertise. Working together will make a difference and maximize the chances of moving NP137 towards clinical development in these indications » added Camilla Svensson, Professor at the Karolinska Institutet.
The Project includes a special attention to biomarkers as noted by Nicholas Willumsen, Director, Oncology, at Nordic Bioscience: « Non-invasive biomarkers validated in a chronic pain setting can help to objectively facilitate an accurate diagnosis and evaluate efficacy of intervention. In the ActaNet project we will look for and evaluate biomarkers related to netrin-1 and their role in pain ».
« Netrin-1 has been initially identified as a neuronal guidance cue during embryogenesis and we are very excited about the recent discoveries on the role of netrin-1 in pain conduction, and on the possibility of our lead asset, NP137, to inhibit pain » said Patrick Mehlen, CEO of NETRIS Pharma.
« This €1.2 million Eurostar grant obtained by NETRIS Pharma and the members of the consortium is validation of the growing interest of targeting netrin-1 in inflammatory conditions » added Christophe Guichard, CFO of NETRIS Pharma.
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