Biopharmaceutical company, Dimerix (ASX: DXB), which is developing new treatments for types of inflammatory kidney and respiratory diseases, announced it has successfully raised $20 million to fund Phase 3 trials with patients with the chronic kidney disease Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
FSGS is a rare kidney disease where inflammation and scarring of the kidney affects both children and adults and leads to permanent kidney damage and eventual kidney failure, requiring dialysis or transplantation.
The treatment, DMX-200 was co-invented by Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research Head of Molecular Endocrinology and Pharmacology research group Professor Kevin Pfleger, with the original discovery and pre-clinical research published in 2015.
Dimerix now has three Phase 3 clinical trials funded. See the video update here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6833445020687708160/
The average time from a diagnosis of FSGS to the onset of complete kidney failure is only five years. It can affect children as young as two years old. Even after receiving a kidney transplant, approximately 40 percent of patients will get re-occurring FSGS in the transplanted kidney. At this stage, there are no drugs approved for FSGS anywhere in the world. Treatment options and prognosis are poor.
Professor Pfleger commented, “I am incredibly excited that Dimerix is now in a position to fund these Phase 3 clinical trials. FSGS patients are desperate for a treatment for their condition and this hopefully brings it that much closer.”
Read here for the full announcement.
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RELATED NEWS
Listen to Dr.GPCR.com Podcast, Episode #31 with Dr. Kevin Pfleger
- highlights the Dimerix story in a wide ranging interview with Prof. Pfleger about mentorship and succeeding in medical research more generally
(The Dimerix Story, the company mentioned in the podcast, has also been featured in the Think Perth campaign by the City of Perth: https://thinkperth.com/key-sectors/medical-life-sciences)
