- Pre-Clinical
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 3
AZD1656
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Both Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (“HT”) and Graves’ disease are autoimmune diseases involving the improper functioning of the thyroid. HT is an autoimmune disease driven by T cells, which are one of the types of white blood cells, where the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies result in the hyperfunction of the tissue and an increase in the amount of thyroid hormones. Patients with Graves’ disease may develop an enlargement of the thyroid called a goitre and often have eye problems due to lymphocyte, a type of immune cell, infiltrating into the muscles of the eye. AZD1656 is a highly specific glucokinase activator; originally developed by AstraZeneca for use in diabetes mellitus. It has now been tested in over 1,000 patients with both type I and II diabetes and no significant safety concerns have been raised. Conduit plans to conduct further research on AZD1656 to investigate if AZD1656 is a treatment option for HT and Graves’ disease, including investigating any negative side effects in the use of AZD1656 as compared to the currently available treatment options for HT and Graves’ disease.
Renal Transplant
Renal transplant failure occurs when a patient’s body rejects a kidney transplant and involves the gradual decrease in kidney function that starts following a kidney transplant surgery and often results in organ failure. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, there are over 100,000 patients waiting for a kidney transplant in the U.S. AZD1656 was previously subject to preclinical and clinical trials, including Phase I and Phase II trials, conducted by AstraZeneca relating to its potential to impact on renal transplant patients with type 2 diabetes. We believe that AZD1656 may facilitate the immune system in tolerating or accepting the transplanted kidney. Conduit intends to conduct Phase II studies on AZD1656 in order to investigate the use of AZD1656 to reduce the rejection in kidney transplant patients.
Uveitis
Uveitis is an autoimmune disease of the eye that refers to a number of intraocular inflammatory conditions and involves the swelling of the uvea, the colored portion of the eyes. In the U.S., uveitis causes an estimated approximately 30,000 new cases of blindness per year and may be the third leading cause of blindness worldwide. Conduit believe that a treatment for non-infectious uveitis would be eligible for orphan drug designation, which provides for market exclusivity of 10 years in the European Union and 7 years in the United States. AZD1656 was previously subject to preclinical and clinical trials, including Phase I and Phase II trials, conducted by AstraZeneca relating to its potential to treat type 2 diabetes. As of the date hereof, no preclinical or clinical trials have been conducted on the use of AZD1656 to treat uveitis. Conduit intends to conduct further trials on AZD1656 in order to investigate if AZD1656 is an option to treat uveitis without the side effects involved in the current treatment using steroids.
Preterm Labor
Preterm labor refers to giving birth to babies that are born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Preterm labor may result in premature birth and the earlier premature birth happens, the great of health risks for the baby. Preterm labor is a condition that may result in the death of the baby and/or the mother. There is no effective treatment for preterm labor that is known to us. Management believes that approximately 60,000 babies per year in the U.K. according to the Mums and Midwives Awareness Academy and approximately 380,000 per year in the U.S. are born preterm according to the Preeclampsia Foundation. AZD1656 was previously subject to preclinical and clinical trials, including Phase I and Phase II trials, conducted by AstraZeneca relating to its potential to treat type 2 diabetes. As of the date hereof, no preclinical or clinical trials have been conducted on the use of AZD1656 to treat preterm labor. Most drugs for preterm labor are only used for about 24-48 hours once a woman is already in labor, so that the patients can be treated with corticosteroids to promote the functioning of the baby’s lungs. These drugs are unable to sustain a pregnancy beyond this and are not safe to be used for prolonged periods. We believe that, in the event that AZD1656 is shown to be able to effectively treat preterm labor (of which there can be no assurance), AZD1656 could potentially maintain a pregnancy for longer, reduce the number of babies that are born prematurely and reduce the costs associated with preterm labor.
AZD5904
Idiopathic Male Infertility
Idiopathic Male Infertility (“IMI”) is defined as failure of a couple to conceive after one year of regular sexual intercourse where the physical examination and endocrine laboratory testing of the male are normal, but semen analysis reveals sperm abnormalities. Approximately 15% of couples globally, or 48.5 million couples globally, are infertile and that 30% of infertility cases can be attributed solely to the female, 30% can be attributed solely to the male, 30% can be attributed to a combination of both partners, and 10% of cases have an unknown cause. Our development pipeline for AZD5904 includes a potent, irreversible inhibitor of human myeloperoxidase, which we refer to as MPO, that has the potential to treat IMI. AZD5904 was investigated by AstraZeneca for the treatment of idiopathic male infertility in Phase I trials, which confirmed the suitability to progress to Phase II trials. While AZD 5904 is Phase II ready, Conduit intends to conduct a Phase Ib “proof of mechanism” trial to verify AZD5904 has the intended biological effect in semen (as well as in blood) prior to commencing a Phase II trial for the use of AZD5904 to treat IMI. Specifically, Conduit intends to conduct the Phase Ib study in order to see if the trial will provide evidence that AZD5904 has its intended effect of inhibiting myeloperoxidase and reduce oxidative stress in semen. We believe that AZD5904 has the potential to be used to create a tablet that could treat IMI and would be the first drug developed to directly treat IMI.