Therini Bio Announces Positive Preclinical Data Supporting the Development of THN391 in Neurodegenerative Ocular Diseases

Therini Bio, Inc. recently announced positive preclinical data supporting the development of its lead candidate, THN391, for the treatment of neurodegenerative ocular diseases. The data was detailed in a poster presented by Aaron Kantor, PhD, Head of Translational Sciences at Therini Bio, at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2024 Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA, on May 7, 2024.

Vascular dysfunction, caused by factors such as aging, genetic risk and diseases, including hypertension and diabetes, leads to the toxic accumulation of fibrin deposits outside of blood vessels, which sparks chronic innate immune cell activation and is believed to be a central mechanism underlying many neurodegenerative ocular diseases, including diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic macular edema (DME) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Therini Bio has developed a potential first-in-class therapeutic monoclonal antibody, THN391, that is designed to selectively block fibrin-mediated neuroinflammation without interfering with fibrin’s coagulation properties.

In preclinical models of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, THN391 and its analogs demonstrated effectiveness in protecting against vascular and neuronal degeneration. In a rat laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (LCNV) model of macular degeneration, intravitreal injection of THN391 significantly reduced both lesion area and permeability as measured by quantitative fluorescein angiography (qFA). THN391’s treatment effect was comparable to the reduction exhibited by VEGF antagonists. Results were directionally similar in a mouse STZ (streptozotocin) model of diabetic retinopathy, with THN391 reducing vascular permeability, as measured by qFA.

“We are very encouraged by our data demonstrating the effectiveness of THN391 in rodent models of neurodegenerative ocular diseases,” said Joel Naor, MD, Chief Medical Officer – Ophthalmology at Therini Bio. “Our research indicates that THN391 as monotherapy, or in combination with VEGF-antagonists, has the potential to positively impact key disease mechanisms propagated by macrophages and provide patients with benefits beyond standard of care.”

Therini Bio plans to initiate a Phase 1/2a study assessing THN391 for the treatment of DME in 2H24, in preparation for testing a novel fibrin/VEGF bispecific antibody. An interim readout of an ongoing Phase 1a study in healthy volunteers found intravenous THN391 to be safe, well-tolerated, have an extended half-life and no negative impact on coagulation.

The poster is available in the Publications section of www.therinibio.com.

Therini Bio is a clinical-stage biotech company developing immunotherapies for neuroinflammation in diseases driven by vascular dysfunction. The company is developing a pipeline of potential first-in-class therapies selectively targeting toxic fibrin accumulation for diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), where destructive neuroinflammation plays a central role in the disease process. The foundational science was licensed based on technology discovered in Katerina Akassoglou’s, PhD, laboratories at the Gladstone Institutes at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and formerly the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Therini Bio’s top-tier syndicate of life sciences investors includes the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, SV Health Investors’ Biotech Fund and Dementia Discovery Fund, Dolby Family Ventures, Dreavent Biotech Investments, Eli Lilly and Company, Foundation for a Better World, MRL Ventures Fund, the therapeutics-focused corporate venture fund of Merck & Co., Inc., and Sanofi Ventures. For more information, visit www.therinibio.com.