SAN DIEGO, May 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Metacrine, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on building an innovative pipeline of best-in-class drugs to treat liver and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, will present data showing efficacy of M480, a potent oral non-bile acid farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist, in multiple models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). FXR activation increases anti-microbial activity, improves gut barrier function and decreases inflammation which likely explains the benefit observed in IBD models. In a second poster presentation, Metacrine will show that sustained activation of FXR is required to achieve maximal efficacy consistent with what has been shown in preclinical and clinical data in treating patients with nonalcoholic steatophepatitis (NASH). The poster presentations will take place at the Digestive Disease Week 2019 Annual Meeting (DDW 2019) being held in San Diego, California on May 18, 2019.
“Treatment of IBD with an oral and safe FXR drug could be a game changer,” said Ken Song, MD, President and CEO of Metacrine. “Our research now identifies the mechanism by which FXR can modulate IBD. M480 is a predecessor to our lead FXR product candidate(s) which are advancing through various stages of development.”
IBD is a debilitating disease in which most existing therapies are injectable biologics with immunosuppressive side effects. Targeting FXR, a nuclear hormone receptor activated by bile acids, represents a novel approach to treating IBD. FXR is a ligand-activated transcription factor highly expressed in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. Metacrine has developed an extensive portfolio of oral FXR agonists that are taken once a day and have sustained activation of the target over 24 hours.
About Metacrine
Metacrine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on building an innovative pipeline of best-in-class drugs to treat liver and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. The most advanced program is focused on the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) an important drug target in multiple liver and GI diseases. Metacrine has purposefully designed a series of compounds to be optimized, next-generation FXR agonists. Beyond the FXR program, a pipeline of novel drug candidates against other drug targets is being explored by taking advantage of internal drug discovery and development capabilities. Privately held Metacrine is headquartered in San Diego, California. For additional information, please visit www.metacrine.com.
Contacts:
Investor Inquiries
Trisha Millican
Chief Financial Officer
858.369.7800
tmillican@metacrine.com