Synairgen and Pharmaxis enter research collaboration on LOXL2 inhibitor

Respiratory drug discovery and development specialist Synairgen (LSE: SNG) and Australian pharma company Pharmaxis (ASX: PXS) have entered into a research collaboration to develop a selective inhibitor to the lysyl oxidase type 2 enzyme (LOXL2).

This would treat the fatal lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which affects around 100,000 people in the USA. LOXL2 is being targeted because it is known to promote scar tissue which hardens and irreparably damages the lungs of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. It is hoped that being able to inhibit LOXL2 will slow the buildup of scar tissue and improve survival rates that are worse than for many cancers.

Richard Marsden, chief executive of Synairgen, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Pharmaxis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a severe and fatal lung disease. Pharmaxis has a proven competence in the discovery and development of novel molecules, making it an ideal partner. LOXL2 is a target which is of interest not only to our IPF clinical experts in Southampton but also to large pharmaceutical companies; in 2011 Gilead Sciences acquired Arresto Biosciences for $225 million for its Phase I LOXL2 targeting antibody simtuzumab and is currently conducting a large efficacy trial in IPF. Using existing financial resources from our fundraising in 2014, we will apply our BioBank platform of advanced human tissue models and understanding of respiratory biology to develop the LOXL2 inhibitor. We look forward to working closely with Pharmaxis and the world class academics at the University of Southampton to progress this opportunity into the clinic in patients with IPF.”