Spider venom treatment for heart attacks progressing to trials

A potentially life-saving treatment containing venom from one of the world’s deadliest spiders is one step closer to human trials, thanks to a $23 million investment in a Brisbane startup company.

The drug candidate, which was developed by a University of Queensland (UQ) research team, uses a molecule found in the venom of the K’gari (Fraser Island) funnel-web spider, and can potentially prevent damage caused by heart attacks and stroke. It will now be able to progress to clinical trials after UQ commercialisation company UniQuest licensed the drug candidate, IB001, to startup company Infensa Bioscience.

UQ Principal Research Fellow Associate Professor Mark Smythe, who also serves as Infensa CEO, said there are currently no drugs in clinical use that prevent damage caused by heart attack, which is the leading cause of death worldwide.

“The heart can’t regenerate muscle cells that die during a heart attack, which is why these injuries cause permanent damage and can lead to heart failure, disability and reduced quality of life,” Smythe said.

UQ’s Professor Glenn King and Associate Professor Nathan Palpant discovered last year that IB001 prevented cell death caused by loss of oxygen to the heart and brain during heart attacks and stroke, with their results published in the journal Circulation. The drug candidate was developed in collaboration with Professor Peter Macdonald from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and Professor Rob Widdop from Monash University.

“IB001 blocks the signals that causes heart cells to die, and when given immediately to heart attack victims could reduce damage to the heart and significantly improve outcomes for people with heart disease, particularly in rural and remote regions,” Smythe said.

Smythe said the $23 million funding would go towards the drug’s development and establishing the company, with the aim of starting Phase I clinical trials as a heart attack treatment next year. The company also plans to raise additional funds to support the development of drugs to treat stroke and extend the life of donor hearts used for organ transplants.

Image credit: Samantha Nixon.

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