Kineta, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics in immuno-oncology, neuroscience and biodefense, has dosed the first patient in its Phase 1 clinical trial of KCP506, an investigational, first-in-class α9/α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonist in development for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.
α9α10 nAChR antagonists have demonstrated robust analgesic, anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective effects across multiple preclinical chronic pain models. The α9α10 nAChR drug target is not expressed in the central nervous system and may lead to a safer therapy with no centrally mediated toxicities. Unlike other chronic pain therapies, Kineta’s α9α10 nAChR antagonists are non-addictive and non-tolerizing in preclinical studies.
The Phase 1, first-in-human, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, single ascending and multiple ascending dose study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of KCP506 in healthy people. The trial is designed to enroll up to 88 participants with safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic data expected to read out in the second half of 2021.
Kineta’s α9α10 nAChR antagonists may be an effective treatment for many types of chronic pain including radiculopathy, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and diabetic neuropathy. The global neuropathic pain market was $6.3 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach to $9.9 billion by 2027.
Of note, Kineta is collaborating with Genentech to develop KCP506. Under the terms of their agreement, Genentech has an option to license assets developed during the research collaboration.
