Metrion Biosciences awarded £200k funding under Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Feasibility Award

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Press Release

Metrion Biosciences awarded £200k funding under Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Feasibility Award

Cambridge, UK, 5th February 2018

• Funding will support further development of recently acquired small molecule assets for treatment of autoimmune disease
• Project forms the first of a series designed to deliver proof of concept data on immune-sparing drug candidates
• Project will further enhance Metrion’s ion channel drug discovery portfolio

Metrion Biosciences Limited (“Metrion”), the specialist ion channel contract research and drug discovery company, announced today it has been awarded £200k funding under the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Feasibility Award scheme. The funding will be used to support further development of Metrion’s in-house drug discovery pipeline.

The funding will enable further preclinical development activities to be undertaken on the portfolio of small molecule potassium inhibitors acquired by Metrion from Japan Tobacco, with the aim of delivering a ‘best in class’, orally bioavailable, small molecule potassium channel inhibitor for the safe and effective treatment of a range of autoimmune diseases. This project is the first of a series of potassium channel inhibitor programmes Metrion has planned, which are designed to deliver proof of concept data on immune-sparing drug candidates, for treatment of autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.

Marc Rogers, Chief Scientific Officer, Metrion Biosciences, said: “We are pleased to receive this support from the Biomedical Catalyst scheme, which recognises Metrion’s contribution to R&D and drug discovery in the UK. Our team has extensive experience in the field of potassium ion channel drug discovery, having been responsible for discovery and development of three novel potassium channel therapeutics for the treatment of cardiac atrial fibrillation. We are excited to begin work on this project.”