Under the headship of internationally recognized leaders in their fields, CohBar Inc. (NASDAQ:CWBR) has continued to stay ahead of the industry to develop mitochondria-based therapeutics. A majority of them are aimed at managing chronic diseases and perhaps extend the lifespan of the victims. In pursuit of its goals, the company says it has been working on a mitochondrion based therapeutic, which will be the first to enter clinical testing.
CB4211 is in its Phase 1b stage of its Phase 1a/1b clinical trial and is being evaluated as a potential treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and obesity. The aim is to assess its potential effects on liver fat, body weight, and other similar biomarkers relevant to NASH. Meanwhile, CohBar has already dosed the first 20 obese subjects who will be receiving one dose level of CB4211 once a day for four weeks.
The Emergence of Mitochondria Based Therapeutics
NASH is a complex disease. Statistics have it that more than 30 million patients are at risk even though there are no approved treatments in the U.S. However, according to CohBar’s Chief Executive Officer, Steven Engle, the emergence of Mitochondria based therapeutics is a key step towards addressing the large and growing unmet medical needs.
‘’…We believe CB4211 is well-positioned because it has a mechanism of action that is different from any other potential NASH treatment now in clinical development…’’ Engle explained. Additionally, it has demonstrated a potential therapeutic synergy with GLP-1 agonists.
CohBar says there is a need to have more than one treatment approach for NASH, just like other diseases like diabetes are treated. Nonetheless, successful completion of the study means a step forward into resolving the problem. However, with the current constraints imposed by COVID-19, the company expects to have topline data from the study in Q1 2021.
Meanwhile, the building of the company’s founders’ work to improve patients’ lives goes on. To date, it has discovered close to 100 mitochondrial-derived peptides some of which are related to fibrotic diseases, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases.
