Company spotlight: Mimetogen Pharmaceuticals
Novel Peptidomimetics Target Occular Diseases
Bringing a novel approach to treating occular diseases, Garth Cumberlidge, the President and CEO of Mimetogen Pharmaceuticals Inc. has set his sights on partnering at BIO-Europe 2008 to advance into clinical trials small molecules to treat dry eye and glaucoma.
The potential is rich with the market for the dry eye indication projected to grow to USD 1.2 billion by 2012, according to Frost & Sullivan.
“We believe the market for dry eye prescription drugs will develop in a similar manner to that of the glaucoma drug market, which has reached USD 4 billion today,” said Cumberlidge in an interview with Partnering News. “Globally speaking, there are only two different compounds that are currently approved to treat dry eye, so we are excited for the company’s potential,” he added. Mimetogen Pharmaceuticals is a drug development biotechnology company developing pharmacologically active peptidomimetics—drugs that mimic the action of peptides.
The company is sharply focused on ophthalmology with its two topical lead products against dry eye and glaucoma, and a third program is exploring ophthalmic indications where its compounds already show great promise in animal studies. These indications include both retinitis pigmentosa and neurotrophic keratitis.
Cumberlidge said he also welcomes meetings at the BIO-Europe partnering event with companies interested in investigating the potential of the Mimetogen molecule family for both ocular and non-ocular applications.
Reviewing the potential for the Mimetogen molecule, the Bernstein Report on BioBusiness, highlighted that this is “the first company attempting to treat glaucoma and other degenerative ophthalmic diseases through neuroprotection, an approach it expects would complement existing drugs.”
Mimetogen’s lead compound mimics the pro-survival effects that nerve growth factor (NGF) has on retinal cells. “There really isn’t anyone taking the neuroprotective approach that we are,” Cumberlidge told BioCentury. As glaucoma progresses the loss of vision is caused by an abnormal loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which is often accompanied by increased intraocular pressure (IOP).
Decreasing this abnormally high pressure is the goal of all approved glaucoma therapeutics, including adrenergic alpha receptor agonists, beta blockers, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and prostaglandins. However, successful reduction of IOP only slows the loss of vision rather than stopping it.
Mimetogen’s most advanced compound, MIM-D3, is a small molecule partial agonist of TrkA (neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1, NTRK1), a receptor that binds NGF and mediates that protein’s pro-survival effects. The receptor is present on both cholinergic neurons and RGCs. Cumberlidge said unlike NGF, MIM-D3 can be applied topically and still find its way to the retina and optic nerve, where cell loss occurs.
The indication itself is a large unmet medical need, Cumberlidge told Partnering News “and with the MIM-D3 we have a new molecule for a new target where there has not been a therapy before.”
“The compound we have developed specifically addresses the loss of RGCs where existing therapies aim to reduce pressure, which is a risk factor for the disease,” he said. “Our molecule protects retinal ganglion cells from a slow and chronic death,” he added, “this means that clinically meaningful measurements of the drug’s efficacy will only become apparent after many months of treatment and as such must undergo multi-year clinical trials.”
“Trials of this duration are always very tough to finance and here we will need a partner, most likely a larger pharmaceutical company, with the financial standing, the patience and a firm belief in neuroprotection as being the correct approach to this disease.”
For the dry eye indication, Mimetogen has a small molecule mimetic that stimulates the production of mucin, one of the major components in tear film. Mimetogen plans to begin clinical development of its lead for dry eye in 2009.
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