LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazentis SA, an innovative life sciences company pioneering scientific breakthroughs in nutrition and pharma to manage health conditions linked to aging, announced today the completion of its Series C round of financing with a total investment of CHF 8.4 million (~$8.9 million).
The oversubscribed financing included participation of an additional new investor along with existing investors. Proceeds of the financing will be used to advance clinical trials of the Company’s proprietary lead product candidate, AMAZ-02, an oral formulation of urolithin A, and to prepare for future commercial activities with AMAZ-02.
In addition, Amazentis announced the initiation of and study recruitment for the Company’s two pivotal, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trials of AMAZ-02:
- The ENERGIZE Trial, designed to assess the effects of AMAZ-02 on improving mitochondrial and muscle function in healthy elderly individuals (>65 years old) who have low skeletal muscle mitochondrial function (NCT03283462).
- The ATLAS Trial, focused on the potential of AMAZ-02 to improve physical endurance and muscle power in healthy overweight middle-aged participants (40 to 65 years old) who have low exercise tolerance. (NCT03464500).
“There are currently no effective approaches to treat age-related decline in muscle function, other than months of exercise training, and nutritional strategies have had limited impact. This new clinical program, the first of its kind to test urolithin A in pivotal studies in humans, is designed to provide scientific validation for an urgently needed solution to support healthy aging,” commented Kevin Conley, PhD, Professor in the Departments of Radiology and Physiology & Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, and the Principal Investigator in the ENERGIZE Trial.
“We are very pleased with the strong interest and support from the clinical community, as well as the commitment from our investors participating in the current Series C round as we advance urolithin A through these next milestones and onward,” commented Patrick Aebischer, MD, Chairman and co-founder of Amazentis and President Emeritus at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. “Amazentis is dedicated to establishing the full potential of urolithin A. We look forward to the progress of both the ENERGIZE and ATLAS studies, which are expected to report results next year. With this current financing, Amazentis is well positioned as we set the stage to bring urolithin A to market,” stated Chris Rinsch, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Amazentis.
Background on AMAZ-02 (Urolithin A)
Amazentis’ proprietary lead product candidate, AMAZ-02, an oral formulation of urolithin A, is a naturally occurring metabolite. Oral administration of urolithin A leads to improved mitochondrial function by stimulating mitophagy, a process by which aging and damaged mitochondria are cleared from the cell, stimulating growth of healthy mitochondria. Mitophagy declines in cells as we age, and the reduction in mitochondrial function in the muscles of the elderly is thought to be one of the main causes of age-related muscle impairment. Amazentis and the EPFL reported preclinical results in Nature Medicine in an article titled, “Urolithin A induces mitophagy and prolongs lifespan in C. elegans and increases muscle function in rodents” (doi:10.1038/nm.4132). The principal investigator for this publication, Johan Auwerx, MD, PhD, Professor at the EPFL, commented on the ongoing Phase 2 studies, “Declining physical performance and endurance during aging are closely linked to a reduction in skeletal mitochondrial function. Urolithin A offers a new hope to address this growing healthcare issue in our aging population.”
Recently, the Company also presented Phase 1 clinical data demonstrating safety findings for AMAZ-02 and the translation of biological effects on mitochondria in the skeletal muscle of elderly at the 10th International Conference on Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle Wasting, held in Rome, Italy, 8-10 December 2017 (abstract 9-06; DOI:10.1002/jcsm.12284).
About Amazentis
Amazentis SA is a life science company that employs today’s leading research and clinical science to develop the next generation of products targeting mitochondrial health for advanced nutrition and pharma applications. The Company’s proprietary lead product candidate, AMAZ-02, an oral formulation of urolithin A, is currently advancing in two pivotal, Phase 2 clinical trials. Amazentis has established an extensive intellectual property portfolio and proprietary know how around urolithin A, enabling the manufacture and development of advanced products for human applications.
For more information on Amazentis, please visit www.amazentis.com