Strekin launches Phase 2 clinical study of STR001

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04.05.2016

Strekin, a privately held life science startup based in Basel, announces the launch of a Phase 2 clinical study of STR001, a drug initially used for oral therapy. The startup has now discovered STR001’s potential as a new treatment for hearing loss in patients undergoing cochlear implantation surgery.

Founded in 2014 by an experienced team with a strong track-record in research and successful clinical development of novel drugs, Strekin aims to discover the untapped therapeutic potential of existing drugs for new indications to transform the lives of patients with cell stress-related inflammatory pathways.

For instance, the Strekin team discovered that STR001, a drug with many years of safe and effective use as an oral therapy, can be administered directly into the middle ear at the time of surgery to preserve residual hearing in patients undergoing cochlear implantation (CI) surgery. Strekin has obtained exclusive worldwide rights to a patent covering the use and route of administration of STR001 as a treatment for hearing loss.

At the Sachs CEO forum in Zürich, Strekin officially announced the launch of Phase 2 clinical study of STR001. “Despite advances in cochlear implant technology, a risk of CI surgery is the loss of residual hearing. Therapies, such as STR001, that have the potential to prevent this undesired effect, could be very beneficial to patients” said Prof Arneborg Ernst (UKB Berlin), the Clinical Lead Investigator of the trial. This large, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 2 study is currently recruiting patients in Germany and France.

"We are very excited to have begun enrolling patients in our phase 2 study in CI", remarked Alexander Bausch, Strekin’s Chief Executive Office and founder. "The decision to undergo elective surgery to receive a cochlear implant is a very personal one, both for patients and their families. The fear of losing residual hearing is one that we believe we can alleviate with STR001. STR001 has shown promising results in preclinical studies and we expect the phase 2 in CI to be a key step toward development of an important therapeutic", he added.

In preclinical studies, STR001 provided significant protection of auditory hair cells of the inner ear in models of hearing loss. Hair cells are responsible for converting airborne sound to electrical signals to the brain and are commonly lost or dysfunctional in many types of hearing loss.

(Picture:DasWortgewand, Pixabay)

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