ALPK1

ROSAH syndrome is caused by mutations in the ALPK1 gene. Credit: Gorodenkoff via Shutterstock. Drug Farm has been granted a rare paediatric disease (RPD) designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for DF-003 to treat retinal dystrophy, optic nerve edema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis and headache (ROSAH) syndrome. DF-003 is an alpha-kinase 1 (ALPK1) indicated for the treatment of the rare autosomal dominant disorder ROSAH syndrome. The condition is caused by mutations in the ALPK1 gene, characterised by the symptoms listed in its name. ROSAH syndrome currently has no approved treatments. Drug Farm received FDA clearance of its investigational new drug (IND) application to initiate Phase I studies for the candidate in June 2023, after pre-clinical studies in ROSAH syndrome transgenic mouse models showed significant activity and favourable drug-like properties. If a new drug application for DF-003 is approved by the FDA, the company may be eligible to receive a priority review voucher (PRV) that can be redeemed to receive for any later marketing application. The double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase I trial (NCT05997641) is evaluating the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of DF-003 on 96 healthy subjects.  The study is expected to conclude in Q1 2025. The company has other candidates in the pipeline, including another ALPK1 agonist DF-006, which is under investigation in the third part of a Phase I study for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection. The trial is assessing the levels of DF-006 and its related compounds in the blood following doses of the formulation. In May 2023, Drug Farm generated $27m in a Series C funding round led by Betta Capital. The company, which has offices in both the US and China, also raised $56m in February 2021 in a Series A lead by BVCF. In the announcement accompanying the designation, Drug Farm’s chief medical officer Jeysen Yogaratnam said: “Obtaining Rare Pediatric Disease Designation recognizes the serious and debilitating complications of this rare disease and upholds our goal to provide DF-003 as the first targeted drug for potential treatment in patients afflicted with ROSAH syndrome.”

GUILFORD, Conn.--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- Drug Farm , a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Rare Pediatric Disease (RPD) Designation for the company’s alpha-kinase 1 (ALPK1) inhibitor, DF-003, to treat patients with ROSAH (retinal dystrophy, optic nerve edema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis and headache) Syndrome. DF-003 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 trial ( NCT05997641 ) to assess safety and pharmacokinetics in normal healthy volunteers. “Pediatric patients living with ROSAH Syndrome face a significant unmet need with limited options to treat vision loss,” said Jeysen Yogaratnam, Chief Medical Officer, Drug Farm. “Obtaining Rare Pediatric Disease Designation recognizes the serious and debilitating complications of this rare disease and upholds our goal to provide DF-003 as the first targeted drug for potential treatment in patients afflicted with ROSAH Syndrome.” About Rare Pediatric Disease Designation Rare Pediatric Disease (RPD) Designation is granted by the FDA for serious or life-threatening diseases which affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States and in which the serious or life-threatening manifestations primarily affect individuals less than 18 years of age. If a New Drug Application (NDA) for DF-003 to treat ROSAH Syndrome is approved by the FDA, Drug Farm may be eligible to receive a Priority Review Voucher (PRV) that can be redeemed to receive a priority review for any subsequent marketing application or may be sold or transferred. The FDA has implemented this program to encourage development of new drugs for treatment of rare pediatric diseases. About ROSAH Syndrome ROSAH (retinal dystrophy, optic nerve edema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis and headache) Syndrome is a rare, autosomal dominant autoinflammatory disease named according to the characteristic symptoms exhibited by affected patients (1, 2). The disease is caused by a genetic gain-of-function mutation in ALPK1. The most common presenting symptom is a progressive decline in visual acuity that typically begins before 20 years of age, with ophthalmologic examination often revealing optic disc elevation, uveitis, and retinal nerve degeneration (2, 3). Most ROSAH patients also exhibit inflammatory features such as non-infectious low-grade fevers, arthralgia, headaches, and persistently elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-1β (3). Tantravahi SK, et al. An inherited disorder with splenomegaly, cytopenias, and vision loss. Am J Med Genet A. 2012;158(3):475-81. Williams LB, et al. ALPK1 missense pathogenic variant in five families leads to ROSAH syndrome, an ocular multisystem autosomal dominant disorder. Genet Med. 2019;21(9):2103-15. Kozycki CT, et al. Gain-of-function mutations in ALPK1 cause an NF-κB-mediated autoinflammatory disease: functional assessment, clinical phenotyping and disease course of patients with ROSAH syndrome. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022;81(10):1453-64. About DF-003 DF-003 is a first-in-class drug developed by Drug Farm that inhibits the activity of ALPK1 and variants of ALPK1 that have a gain-of-function mutation and cause ROSAH Syndrome. DF-003 currently is in a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT05997641) in normal healthy volunteers. About Drug Farm Drug Farm is a private biotechnology Company developing innovative treatments targeting innate immunity for hepatitis B, heart and kidney diseases, and ROSAH (retinal dystrophy, optic nerve edema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis and headache) syndrome. Drug Farm's unique IDInVivo platform combines breakthrough technologies in genetics and AI to discover new treatments. IDInVivo technology allows the direct assessment of gene targets in living animals with intact immune systems. Using the IDInVivo platform, Drug Farm has identified novel innate immunity pathways and targets and is now rapidly advancing multiple first-in-class drug candidates into clinical development. For more information please visit: https://www.drug-farm.com

Trial will evaluate DF-006, a first-in-class ALPK1 agonist that stimulates local innate immunity in the liver GUILFORD, Conn. & SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Drug Farm, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has dosed the first chronic hepatitis B patient in Part 3 of its Phase 1 clinical trial (ANZCTR Trial ID: ACTRN12621000592842). This trial is evaluating Drug Farm’s first-in-class ALPK1 agonist, DF-006, as a monotherapy and in combination with standard-of-care nucleos(t)side reverse transcriptase inhibitors in treatment-naïve and virologically suppressed patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. “DF-006 is a first-in-class innate immunity modulator that has demonstrated potent anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) responses in in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies as described in our recent publication in Hepatology1,” said Drug Farm’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jeysen Yogaratnam. “We will be evaluating DF-006 in various chronic hepatitis B patient subpopulations in our global multicenter placebo-controlled randomized study at sites in Europe and Asia, including China.” “DF-006 has demonstrated a good safety and tolerability pro date following single and multiple ascending dose evaluations in healthy volunteers,” said Prof. Ed Gane, the lead Principal Investigator for this study. “As an oral drug administered once weekly, DF-006 has the potential to be the immunomodulator of choice in combination HBV cure regimens”. Xu C, Fan J, Liu D, Tuerdi A, Chen J, Wei Y, Pan Y, Dang H, Wei X, Yousif AS, Yogaratnam J, Zhou Q, Lichenstein H, Xu T. Alpha-kinase 1 (ALPK1) agonist DF-006 demonstrates potent efficacy in mouse and primary human hepatocyte (PHH) models of hepatitis B. Hepatology. 2023 Jan 1;77(1):275-289. doi: 10.1002/hep.32614. About Drug Farm Drug Farm is a private biotechnology company developing innovative treatments targeting innate immunity for hepatitis B, heart and kidney diseases, and ROSAH (retinal dystrophy, optic nerve edema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis and headache) syndrome. Drug Farm's unique IDInVivo platform combines breakthrough technologies in genetics and AI to discover new treatments. IDInVivo technology allows the direct assessment of gene targets in living animals with intact immune systems. Using the IDInVivo platform, Drug Farm has identified novel innate immunity pathways and targets and is now rapidly advancing multiple first-in-class drug candidates into clinical development. For more information please visit: View source version on businesswire.com: Contacts United States: Henri Lichenstein, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer hlichens@drug-farm.com China: Tony Xu, Ph.D. Chief Operating Officer tony.xu@drugfarminc.com Source: Drug Farm View this news release online at: