BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Delix Therapeutics (the "Company"), a clinical-stage neuroscience company developing novel disease-modifying therapeutics for psychiatric and neurological conditions, today announced it has been awarded a $320,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support the advancement of DLX-007.
DLX-007 is a novel, first-in-class, neuroplastogen being evaluated in a range of substance use disorders (SUDs), including opioid and stimulant use. It is characterized as a non-toxic ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT analog that is orally-bioavailable, promotes rapid and enduring neuroplasiticity, capable of blood brain barrier penetration, and suitable for intramuscular administration.
"With nearly 110,000 people dying from drug overdoses in America last year, substance use disorders remain a critical public health issue with limited treatment options. While ibogaine has shown promise for treating these disorders, it if often characterized by cardiotoxic issues, hallucinogenic properties, and administration limitations," said Delix Chief Scientific Officer and Head of the Scientific Advisory Board for Cure Addiction Now, Kurt Rasmussen, PhD. "NIDA's grant will enable further advancement of DLX-007, a non-hallucinogenic and non-cardiotoxic ibogaine analog. I look forward to the continued evaluation of DXL-007 and to unlocking its potential for providers and their patients struggling with substance use disorders.”
The grant follows research on one of Delix’s novel compounds by NIDA's Addiction Treatment Discovery Program (ATDP). ATDP works with industry partners to perform preclinical screening, evaluating novel and promising pharmacotherapies with the aim to uncover more effective treatments for the medical management of substance use disorders. Preliminary data are being generated for its potential efficacy in treating substance use disorders with cocaine, amphetamines, and multiple substances.
"We are grateful for NIDA's continued support of our research platform as we develop non-hallucinogenic neuroplastogens to treat a wide range of disorders, including SUD," said Delix CEO Mark Rus. "As the overdose and SUD crises unfortunately continue, rapid acting therapeutics could alter the treatment landscape and address a significant unmet need for patients and their families. Public-private partnerships such as our collaboration with NIDA are essential for bringing innovative treatments to more people. The continued growth and development of Delix's neuroplastogen platform will hopefully create the next generation of neuropsychiatric therapies to restore and repair brain function."
Delix is rapidly advancing its library of thousands of novel compounds into scalable, orally-bioavailable, take-home therapies. The Company recently presented interim data from its Phase 1 trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profiles of lead candidate and novel neuroplastogen, DLX-001 at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Annual Meeting. Delix’s most advanced compounds have demonstrated both fast-acting and long-lasting beneficial repair of neural circuitry associated with depression and other psychiatric disorders, without the costly in-clinic care, safety issues, and abuse potential inherent to first- and second-generation neural plasticity-promoting compounds such as ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA.
About DLX-007
DLX-007 is a novel, non-hallucinogenic ibogaine analog and potent neuroplastogen. It has been shown to decrease drug-seeking behavior across a range of models and substances. DLX-007 promotes rapid and enduring neural plasticity in key brain regions and key neurons, restoring neural circuit function. Additionally, it has been designed to avoid the cardiotoxic issues and other safety concerns associated with ibogaine. DLX-007 has completed IND-enabling studies and is slated for clinical testing in 2024.
About Neuroplastogens
Neuroplastogens are a novel class of potentially disease-modifying therapeutics for psychiatric and neurological conditions. These compounds promote rapid and sustained neuroplasticity in select neural circuits resulting in fast-acting therapeutic effects. Neuroplastogens are novel chemical entities inspired by compounds that are proving to be beneficial across a range of therapeutic areas including mood, anxiety, cognitive, and neurodegenerative disorders in addition to other synaptopathies. Generated from a proprietary phenotypic drug discovery engine, Delix seeks to bring to market a pipeline of neuroplastogens that will be the faster, stronger, and more effective therapies of the future.
About Delix Therapeutics
Delix Therapeutics is a clinical-stage neuroscience company focused on harnessing the power of novel neuroplasticity-promoting therapeutics to better treat patients struggling with difficult-to-treat neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. The company's compounds are easily manufactured small molecules capable of rapidly inducing structural and functional neural changes in targeted areas of the brain. Through its novel Neuroplastogen Platform, Delix is pioneering a new class of fast-acting outpatient pharmacotherapies and rapidly advancing through preclinical and clinical development to bring patients FDA-approved, take-home medicines that will serve several unmet needs and enhance the psychiatric treatment paradigm for patients and providers.
