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Immunic Announces That Vidofludimus Calcium Acts as Potent Nurr1 Activator, Reinforcing Neuroprotective Potential in Multiple Sclerosis
– Preclinical Data Published in the Peer-Reviewed Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Identifies Vidofludimus Calcium as a Potent Nurr1 Activator – – Nurr1
About this update from Immunic, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"– Preclinical Data Published in the Peer-Reviewed Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Identifies Vidofludimus Calcium as a Potent Nurr1 Activator –\n– Nurr1 Activation Suggested to Prevent Neurodegeneration Which is Relevant in Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease and Beyond –\nNEW YORK, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Immunic, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMUX), a biotechnology company developing a clinical pipeline of orally administered, small molecule therapies for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, today announced the publication of preclinical data confirming that vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) acts as a potent nuclear receptor related 1 (Nurr1) activator, in addition to its known mode of action as a dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor. Activation of Nurr1 could be responsible for the drug's postulated neuroprotective effects and may contribute to the previously reported reduction of confirmed disability worsening events in multiple sclerosis patients. Specifically, preclinical data shows potent Nurr1 activation by vidofludimus calcium at low concentrations in several test systems. The data was published in the peer-reviewed, high impact Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, in a paper entitled, \"Development of a potent Nurr1 agonist tool for in vivo applications.\"\nNurr1 is a neuroprotective transcription factor and an emerging target in neurodegenerative diseases. Immunic, together with its collaboration partner at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, has discovered in preclinical testing strong, meaningful Nurr1 activation by vidofludimus calcium and a range of derivative compounds in Immunic's portfolio. In addition, vidofludimus calcium has shown preference over the highly related receptors Nur77 and NOR-1.\nProf. Dr. Daniel Merk, Chair of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, commented, \"Nurr1 has been identified as a promising target for neuroprotection in diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease. However, there has been a lack of potent and selective Nurr1 agonists for sufficient target validation. From what we have now seen in our preclinical models, vidofludimus calcium and structurally related molecules are among the most potent Nurr1 agonists in literature.\"\n\"The neuroprotective characteristics of Nurr1 suggest broad therapeuti...