Seelos Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SEEL) has announced that the Japanese Patent Office has issued the company with a patent titled, “STRUCTURE-BASED PEPTIDE INHIBITORS Of ALPHA-SYNUCLEIC AGGREGATION) that covers the matter for SLS-007. SLS-007 is a possible disease-modifying gene therapy focusing on the aggregation of intracellular alpha-synuclein aggregation in Parkinson’s disease.
Seelos conducting in vivo preclinical trials
The company is currently carrying in vivo preclinical studies using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver SLS-007, which is designed to target the non-amyloid component core (NACore) of -synuclein to prevent abnormal aggregation and accumulation of the protein in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients (PD). The goal of the preclinical investigations is to determine SLS-007’s in vivo pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics and target engagement parameters.
SLS-007 is a class of peptidic inhibitors that target the NACore of -synuclein to prevent aberrant protein aggregation and buildup in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients. Overexpression of -synuclein causes the production of -synuclein aggregates, which include Lewy bodies and neurites, which are hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis. SLS-007 has been found in recent in vitro and cell culture research to have the ability to halt the growth and seeding of -synuclein aggregates.
Seelos signed licensing agreement for Wafermine globally.
Recently the company announced the signing of an exclusive license agreement for the acquisition of a global license from iX Biopharma Ltd for sublingual racemic ketamine wafer, Wafermine, and global license for other sublingual ketamine wavers administered using a novel fast-dissolving wafer-based drug delivery tech platform called WaferiX. In addition, the company will evaluate the sublingual ketamine called SLS-003 for indications such as Complex regional pain Syndrome and severe neuropathic pain.
CEO Raj Mehra said, “Our licensing of this new program broadens Seelos’ ketamine franchise with a formulation that we believe will be more suitable for chronic dosing in indications like CRPS and PTSD, which are both very difficult indications to treat effectively. The pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and safety profiles of SLS-003 that have been demonstrated to date suggest a formulation with the potential of being prescribed with less restrictions than current formulations.”
