MDI Therapeutics, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing novel serpin-based therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and fibroproliferative disorders, is pleased to announce it has closed a Series A financing with Juvenescence Ltd.
Juvenescence, a biopharmaceutical company focused on treating aging and age-related disease, will provide MDI with up to $9 million in funding and collaborate with MDI to advance its lead program through Phase 1 clinical trials. MDI was founded on discoveries by Daniel A. Lawrence, PhD, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan, involving the biology of serine protease inhibitors (“serpins”). Serpins are a class of proteins associated with coronary heart disease, thrombosis, and chronic fibrotic and inflammatory diseases.
“MDI’s mission is to unlock the therapeutic potential of serpin biology for the benefit of patients diagnosed with chronic fibrotic and inflammatory diseases,” said Stephen Benoit, MDI’s President & CEO. “Juvenescence’s broad drug development expertise and their deep commitment to, and expertise in, diseases of aging make them an ideal collaborator for us as we strive to rapidly advance our lead PAI-1 program into the clinic.”
"Serpins have historically been a challenging target for pharmaceutical development, but MDI has shown that they can successfully use their proprietary high throughput screening platform to find novel drug candidates,” said Juvenescence Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Grazia Piizzi. “Their lead program, a first-in-class orally available Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor (PAI-1) inhibitor, has demonstrated efficacy in multiple preclinical models of fibrosis and thrombosis, as well as a promising pharmacokinetic and safety profile. These data were particularly impressive compared to other small molecule inhibitors of PAI-1 that have been studied in humans.”
“Fibrosis and thrombosis represent enormous and devastating health burdens on an aging population,” said Dr. Greg Bailey, co-founder and CEO of Juvenescence. “We are excited to add this new partnership with MDI to our robust and growing portfolio of investments that target age-related diseases via their fundamental causes."
About MDI Therapeutics, Inc.
MDI Therapeutics Inc. is a pharmaceutical company developing novel serpin-based therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and fibroproliferative disorders. The Company was founded on key enabling technologies developed at the University of Michigan in the labs of co-founder Daniel A. Lawrence, PhD, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine. MDI’s lead program is a first-in-class orally available plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) inhibitor. For more information: https://mditherapeutics.com.
About Juvenescence Ltd.
Juvenescence Ltd. is a life sciences company developing therapies to modify aging and increase healthy human lifespan. It was founded by Jim Mellon, Dr. Greg Bailey and Dr. Declan Doogan. The Juvenescence team consists of highly experienced drug developers, entrepreneurs, marketers and investors with a significant history of success in the pharmaceutical and consumer health sectors. The company is committed to inspiring and equipping the world to not just reimagine what it means to get older but to help people reimagine their lifetime. Juvenescence has a broad portfolio of products in development and is driving innovation amongst two divisions: JuvTherapeutics — Focused on traditional prescription medicines to modify aging and prevent diseases, and JuvLife — Consumer products that manage aging and help increase health span. For more information: https://www.juvlabs.com.
Contact Information MDI: sbenoit@mditherapeutics.com Juvenescence: juvenescenceir@juvlabs.com