Enterprise Therapeutics selected as a finalist for Scrip Awards and Lifestars Awards

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  • Scrip Awards 2018 “Financing Deal of the Year- Private” category
  • Lifestars Awards 2018 “EU Private Finance Raise of the Year <£30M” category

Brighton, UK – 02 October 2018: Enterprise Therapeutics Ltd (Enterprise), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research and development of novel therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases, has recently been announced as a finalist in the “Financing Deal of the Year” category for the Scrip Awards, and the “EU Private Finance Raise of the Year- <£30M” category of LSX’s Lifestars Awards, based on its oversubscribed £29 million ($41 million USD) Series B funding round.

 

Enterprise announced the closing of its Series B round in April 2018. The round was co-led by Versant Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund, and the syndicate also included new investor Forbion, founding investor Epidarex Capital, and existing investor IP Group. The investment will fund the Company’s drug discovery pipeline of muco-regulatory therapies into clinical development, with the aim of enabling new treatment options for cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and severe asthma.

 

The Scrip Awards recognise both individual and corporate achievement across a wide range of industry activities, including novel deals, new drug launches and technological breakthroughs in clinical trials. Winners will be announced on 28th November at the Gala Dinner in London.

 

The Lifestars Awards celebrate the success, innovations and transformational deals advancing the industry over the past year. The awards ceremony is run by LSX (formerly known as Biotech and Money) in association with Jefferies, on the evening of 13th November. The awards form the evening network function of the Jefferies Annual Healthcare Conference in London, Europe’s largest healthcare investment banking conference.

 

Dr John Ford, CEO, Enterprise Therapeutics, commented: “The Series B investment, along with the additional scientific, development and biotech expertise held by new directors, means that Enterprise is incredibly well positioned to achieve its longer-term goals of bringing new respiratory medicines to market. We are delighted that our significant progress has been recognised by these two very credible and prestigious industry awards.”

 

For more information about the Scrip Awards 2018, visit: https://pharmaintelligence.informa.com/events/awards/scrip-awards-2018

For more information about the Lifestars Awards 2018, visit: https://www.lsxleaders.com/lifestars-awards

32nd Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) 18-20 October-Denver – Submission 210

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Submission: 210 – PHARMACOKINETIC AND PHARMACODYNAMIC PROFILE OF A NOVEL INHALED ENAC BLOCKER, ETD001

 

Henry Danahay1, Clive McCarthy1, William Abraham2, Holly Charlton3, Sarah Lilley3, Roy Fox3 and Martin Gosling1

1Enterprise Therapeutics, UK; 2Mount Sinai Medical Center, USA; 3University of Sussex, UK

 

Inhaled drugs are typically cleared very rapidly from the airway mucosa. Inhaled amiloride, accelerated mucociliary clearance in clinical studies, but with a half-life in the airway mucosa of <30 min, it was a short acting effect which did not translate into clinical efficacy. To achieve a long duration of action in the clinic with novel inhaled ENaC blockers, it will be necessary to maintain compound levels in the airway lumen at a concentration that will maintain target engagement for a sufficient period of time.

The aim of the present project, was to discover novel inhaled ENaC blocker compounds. A key element of the optimisation phase was to understand lung-specific pharmacokinetics, and how these related to in vivo efficacy. To this end, two key models were used. The first employed intra-tracheal delivery of test compound into the lungs of rats with sampling of compound levels in the airway, lung tissue and plasma. Compounds were then tested for duration of action and efficacy in the sheep model of mucociliary clearance (MCC).

Over the course of this project, we discovered numerous novel and potent ENaC blockers with a range of pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties. Of these, ETD001 was selected as a development candidate based upon its overall profile. Notably, ETD001 was not the most potent compound, with an in vitro potency (in nM) of: 40, 31 and 30 on human, sheep and rat ENaC respectively. ETD001 did however show a long residence in the airway lumen of the rat, which was accompanied by a potent and long lasting acceleration of MCC in the sheep following inhaled delivery. Other, more potent examples of novel ENaC blockers, showed significantly greater on-target potency (<5 nM) but failed to show efficacy in the sheep, which could be correlated with a diminished retention of compound in the airway lumen.

Based on the observations that ETD001 showed a long duration of action in vivo and that this was due to sustained compound levels in the airway lumen, we tested the hypothesis that repeat inhaled dosing would further increase the potency of the compound. After a single inhaled dose of ETD001, maximum efficacy in the sheep was observed at 13 µg/kg. In contrast, following twice daily dosing of ETD001 for 3.5 days, the maximal efficacious dose was reduced to 3 µg/kg, a 4-fold increase in potency.

In parallel and consistent with the sheep efficacy data, a 7 day repeat dose study in the rat revealed that lung levels of ETD001 were increased between days 1-7 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, there was no change in blood potassium levels induced by ETD001 at any of these dose levels studied.

In summary, ETD001 is a novel inhaled ENaC blocker with a long duration of action in the airway lumen. Safety and efficacy data support a human tolerated dose that is 30-40 fold over the predicted minimum efficacious human dose. This is significant in view of the potential under-dosing of the Vertex ENaC blocker, VX-371, in a recent negative Phase 2 study.

 

32nd Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) 18-20 October-Denver – Submission 89

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Submission: 89 – IDENTIFYING PATHWAYS REGULATING GOBLET CELL METAPLASIA: PHENOTYPIC SCREENING WITH BRONCHOSPHERES

Henry Danahay1, Clive McCarthy1, Roy Fox2 and Martin Gosling1

1Enterprise Therapeutics, UK; 2University of Sussex, UK

 

The composition of mucus in the CF airway, and in particular the hydration status, significantly affects its clearance and thereby the potential for form plugs, restrict airflow and create a nidus for chronic microbial colonisation. A variety of largely ion channel-based strategies are being employed to promote mucosal hydration e.g. CFTR repair. An alternative approach would be to reduce the excessive production/secretion of the mucin proteins that contribute to the solids component of the mucus gel.

One approach to reduce excessive mucus production in the diseased lung is to reduce the number of mucus producing goblet cells. To identify drug targets that could be regulated to achieve this, we have utilised a 3D culture model of the human airway epithelium, ‘bronchospheres’. Bronchospheres are derived from primary human airway basal cells, and can be cultured to form a well-differentiated mucociliary epithelium without the need for an air-liquid interface. Bronchospheres are cultured in a 384 well assay format that makes them amenable to medium throughput screening. Treating bronchospheres with mediators such as IL-13 induces a mucus hypersecretory phenotype with increased numbers of goblet cells and reduced numbers of ciliated cells. Our hypothesis was that the co-administration of test compounds together with IL-13 would identify compounds capable of preventing goblet cell formation with the opportunity to seed future drug discovery programs.

Bronchospheres were cultured as previously described (Danahay et al., Cell Rep. (2015) 10(2):239). On day 2 after seeding primary human airway basal cells, treatment with IL-13 ± test compounds was initiated. A library of approximately 2,000 pharmacologically active LMW compounds was used, each with a well-annotated mechanism of action. On day 8, media and treatments were topped-up and on day 14 bronchospheres were lysed and RNA isolated. QPCR was then used to assess the expression of cell-specific markers: MUC5AC (goblet cells) and FOXJ1 (ciliated cells). Compounds that induced a ≥2-fold reduction in expression of MUC5AC were classified as hits. This hit list was then refined by checking the expression of FOXJ1. Compounds that had likewise attenuated FOXJ1 expression by ≥2-fold were deprioritised as these likely represented a non-specific effect on epithelial differentiation. Compounds that either maintained or enhanced FOXJ1 expression in addition to repressing MUC5AC gene expression were prioritised for validation using traditional air-liquid interface cultures.

In total, 92 hit compounds from the bronchosphere screen were tested for effects on goblet and ciliated cell numbers in ALI HBE cultures using quantitative immunohistochemistry. Of these, 38 (41%) significantly attenuated the MUC5AC+ stained area in IL-13 treated HBE and either maintained or increased the FOXJ1+ stained area. Validated hits were then aligned based on their previously reported pharmacological activity to enable common pathways to be identified and to refine our hypotheses through further exemplification of pathway regulators.

Following this screen, we are progressing a lead optimisation program for eventual therapy in respiratory diseases associated with mucus obstruction.

Enterprise Therapeutics raises £29 million ($41 million USD) funding

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Brighton, UK – 12 April 2018: Enterprise Therapeutics Ltd (Enterprise), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research and development of novel therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases, today announced that it has closed an oversubscribed £29 million ($41 million USD) Series B round co-led by Versant Ventures and Novartis Venture Fund. The
syndicate also included new investor Forbion, founding investor Epidarex Capital and existing investor IP Group.

The investment will fund the Company’s drug discovery pipeline of muco-regulatory therapies into clinical development, enabling new treatment options for cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and severe asthma.

Enterprise Therapeutics is developing muco-regulatory therapies to treat patients with respiratory diseases of high unmet medical need, where mucus obstruction reduces lung function, leading to difficulty in breathing and recurrent lung infections. These novel therapies target the ion channels TMEM16A and ENaC, to increase the hydration and clearance of mucus. Enterprise Therapeutics has also identified novel targets and compounds that reduce mucus production, an approach that complements mucus hydration therapies.

Commenting on the fundraising, Dr John Ford, CEO, Enterprise Therapeutics, said: “Attracting this syndicate of leading life science investors is a reflection of what the Company has achieved to date and the strength of our pipeline. At Enterprise, we believe new therapies that target the underlying mechanisms of mucus congestion are essential to reduce the frequency of
lung infections and improve patient quality of life.”

Dr Alex Mayweg, Partner, Versant Ventures, commented: “We are very encouraged by progress the Enterprise team made in generating candidates for highly sought-after but challenging targets. This financing should enable introduction of novel therapeutics for patients with cystic fibrosis and other respiratory diseases.”

Dr David Morris, Venture Partner, Novartis Venture Fund, commented: “Our focus is on finding solutions for unmet needs and clinical impact, an area where Enterprise Therapeutics is making excellent progress for respiratory disease patients. We believe this additional round of funding puts the Company in a strong position as it continues to progress towards the clinic.”

“Forbion focuses on supporting novel approaches that have the potential to truly impact the future of medicine” commented Dr Geert-Jan Mulder, Managing Partner, Forbion. “As Enterprise Therapeutics has both a highly innovative R&D pipeline and an experienced leadership team, the Company in our view is well positioned to become a key player in the field of novel respiratory medicine.”

Building in vivo potency and duration of action and into a novel inhaled ENaC blocker, ETD001, presented at the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Basic Science Meeting, Loutraki, Greece, March 2018

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Inhaled drugs are typically cleared very rapidly from the airway mucosa. Inhaled amiloride, accelerated mucociliary clearance in clinical studies, but with a half-life in the airway mucosa of <30 min, it was a short acting effect which did not translate into clinical efficacy. To achieve a long duration of action in the clinic with novel inhaled ENaC blockers, it will be necessary to maintain compound levels in the airway lumen at a concentration that will maintain target engagement for a sufficient period of time.

The aim of the present project, was to discover novel inhaled ENaC blocker compounds. A key element of the optimisation phase was to understand lung-specific pharmacokinetics, and how these related to in vivo efficacy. To this end, two key models were used. The first employed intra-tracheal delivery of test compound into the lungs of rats with sampling of compound levels in the airway, lung tissue and plasma. Compounds were then tested for duration of action and efficacy in the sheep model of mucociliary clearance (MCC).

Over the course of this project, we discovered numerous novel and potent ENaC blockers with a range of pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties. Of these, ETD001 was selected as a development candidate based upon its overall profile. Notably, ETD001 was not the most potent compound, with an in vitro potency (in nM) of: 40, 31 and 30 on human, sheep and rat ENaC respectively. ETD001 did however show a long residence in the airway lumen of the rat, which was accompanied by a potent and long lasting acceleration of MCC in the sheep following inhaled delivery. Other, more potent examples of novel ENaC blockers, showed significantly greater on-target potency (<5 nM) but failed to show efficacy in the sheep, which could be correlated with a diminished retention of compound in the airway lumen.

Based on the observations that ETD001 showed a long duration of action in vivo and that this was due to sustained compound levels in the airway lumen, we tested the hypothesis that repeat inhaled dosing would further increase the potency of the compound. After a single inhaled dose of ETD001, maximum efficacy in the sheep was observed at 13 µg/kg. In contrast, following twice daily dosing of ETD001 for 3.5 days, the maximal efficacious dose was reduced to 3 µg/kg, a 4-fold increase in potency.

In parallel and consistent with the sheep efficacy data, a 7 day repeat dose study in the rat revealed that lung levels of ETD001 were increased between days 1-7 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, there was no change in blood potassium levels induced by ETD001 at any of these dose levels studied.

In summary, ETD001 is a novel inhaled ENaC blocker with a long duration of action in the airway lumen. Safety and efficacy data support a human tolerated dose that is 30-40 fold over the predicted minimum efficacious human dose. This is significant in view of the potential under-dosing of the Vertex ENaC blocker, VX-371, in a recent negative Phase 2 study.

Identifying pathways regulating goblet cell metaplasia: phenotypic screening with bronchospheres, presented at the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Basic Science Meeting, Loutraki, Greece, March 2018

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It is widely accepted that the composition of mucus in the CF airway, and in particular the hydration status, significantly affects its clearance and thereby the potential for form plugs, restrict airflow and create a nidus for chronic microbial colonisation. A variety of largely ion channel-based strategies are being employed to promote mucosal hydration e.g. CFTR repair, ENaC blockers and TMEM16A potentiators. An alternative, but complimentary approach would be to reduce the excessive production and secretion of the mucin proteins that contribute to the solids component of the mucus gel.

One approach to reduce excessive mucus production in the diseased lung is to reduce the number of mucus producing goblet cells in the airways. To identify drug targets that could be regulated to achieve this, we have utilised a 3D culture model of the human airway epithelium, ‘bronchospheres’. Bronchospheres are derived from primary human airway basal cells, and can be cultured to form a well-differentiated mucociliary epithelium without the need for an air-liquid interface. As such, bronchospheres are cultured in a 384 well assay format that makes them amenable to medium throughput compound screening. Treating bronchospheres with inflammatory mediators such as IL-13 induces a mucus hypersecretory phenotype with increased numbers of goblet cells and reduced numbers of ciliated cells. Our hypothesis was that the co-administration of test compounds together with IL-13 would identify compounds capable of preventing goblet cell formation with the opportunity to seed future drug discovery programs.

Bronchospheres were cultured as previously described (Danahay et al., Cell Rep. (2015) 10(2):239). On day 2 after seeding primary human airway basal cells, treatment with IL-13 ± test compounds was initiated. A library of approximately 2,000 pharmacologically active LMW compounds was used, each with a well-annotated mechanism of action. On day 8, media and treatments were topped-up and on day 14 bronchospheres were lysed and RNA isolated. QPCR was then used to assess the expression of cell-specific markers: MUC5AC (goblet cells) and FOXJ1 (ciliated cells). Compounds that induced a ≥2-fold reduction in expression of MUC5AC were classified as hits. This hit list was then refined by checking the expression of FOXJ1. Compounds that had likewise attenuated FOXJ1 expression by ≥2-fold were deprioritised as these likely represented a non-specific effect on epithelial differentiation. Compounds that either maintained or enhanced FOXJ1 expression in addition to repressing MUC5AC gene expression were prioritised for validation using traditional air-liquid interface cultures.

In total, 92 hit compounds from the bronchosphere screen were tested for effects on goblet and ciliated cell numbers in ALI HBE cultures using quantitative immunohistochemistry. Of these, 38 (41%) significantly attenuated the MUC5AC+ stained area in IL-13 treated HBE and either maintained or increased the FOXJ1+ stained area. Validated hits were then aligned based on their previously reported pharmacological activity to enable common pathways to be identified and to refine our hypotheses through further exemplification of pathway regulators.

Based on this screen, we have identified pathways that regulates the induction and maintenance of a goblet cell metaplasia in vitro and are progressing a lead optimisation program for eventual therapy in respiratory diseases associated with mucus obstruction.