Blood clots can be life threatening.
They form when certain parts of the blood thicken to form a semi-solid mass that can travel around the body.
And they can be triggered by many circumstances.
From an injury or underlying high risk conditions or even sitting too long.
If not treated quickly, blood clots can lead to serious conditions like deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks or strokes.
But it’s a fine balance.
As medications to treat blood clots can sometimes cause problems of their own.
They can increase the risk of uncontrolled bleeding in the brain or gut.
LUNAC Therapeutics teamed up with Medicines Discovery Catapult and the University of Leeds with one mission in mind.
To develop an innovative anticoagulant treatment that would better meet patient needs.
Director of Commercialisation
University of Leeds
“This new collaboration will address the need for anti-clotting therapies with great efficacy and minimal bleeding risk. The differentiation of this approach should eliminate the risk of increased bleeding, marking a step-change in the management of the thrombosis.”
Current therapies for patients at risk of developing blood clots are effective....
But with that increased risk of internal bleeding, it’s not always possible to completely stop clots forming in many patients.
As a result, they continue to suffer from blood clots and bleeding events, which can be fatal.
Without the risk of uncontrolled bleeding…
…and lead to a real step-change in the management of the condition.
LUNAC’s target biology, disease understanding and chemistry expertise.
With the University of Leeds and Medicine Discovery Catapult’s drug discovery know how and pre-clinical imaging expertise.
Blood clotting is a complex process involving many different proteins, known as factors. Each factor plays a different role in the clotting process.
FXII is responsible for the activation of FXI to FXIa and prekallikrein to kallikrein to generate thrombin, a protein that converts fibrinogen to fibrin, which traps platelets and helps hold a clot in place.
By blocking FXIIa, the new anticoagulant can prevent these processes and stop clots forming.
And that will make it suitable for more at-risk patients….
…as well as enabling safe dose escalation in high-risk patients.
Scientific Founder,
LUNAC Therapeutics
“New anticoagulant treatments are desperately needed. LUNAC’s research has shown that targeting activated Factor XII has the potential to offer a new treatment option for patients, and we are therefore delighted to have secured Biomedical Catalyst funding to help drive this exciting project forward.”
