Releviate Therapeutics Inks Exclusive License for Human Monoclonal Antibodies for Chronic Pain Indications

Releviate Therapeutics, a bio-pharmaceutical company addressing the needs of patients suffering from chronic pain, signs an exclusive license for two patent pending human monoclonal antibodies developed by researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Duke University. Pre-clinical studies suggest the RLVT-9-01 (anti-MMP-9 antibody) and the RLVT-14-02 (anti-MMP-14 antibody) could directly target the specific matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activating neuropathic pain pathways. Extensive recent studies implicate MMP-9, MMP-14 and MMP-2 as causes of chronic pain.

“The University of California, Riverside is proud of its role in researching this scientific advancement, and we look forward to working with Releviate Therapeutics for its next phase of study and, potentially, patient care,” says Brian Suh, director of technology commercialization at the University of California, Riverside.

50 Million Americans Need an Effective Chronic Pain Treatment

Chronic pain afflicts approximately 50 million adults (20%) in the U.S. each year, according to an analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to BCC Research, “the global market for pain management will grow from nearly $36.1 billion in 2017 to $52.0 billion by 2022.” Until now, there hasn’t been a major breakthrough treatment for moderate to severe neuropathic pain conditions since opioids were introduced in 1806, and these are not a sustainable solution for most people, especially in light of the worsening opioid crisis in the U.S. Alternative therapies in this field include repurposed anti-seizure and anti-depressant medications. However, these groups of medications have very limited efficacy in patients with neuropathic pain.

Releviate Therapeutics is using the exclusively licensed RLVT-9-01 and RLVT-14-02 molecules to address unmet needs in chronic pain. RLVT-9-01 targets MMP-9, which recent discoveries implicate as a switch that turns on acute neuropathic pain. RLVT-14-02 targets MMP-14, which has been implicated in triggering chronic neuropathic pain. Releviate Therapeutics will initially investigate the safety and efficacy of blocking each or both MMPs — first for patients with small fiber neuropathy (SFN) and next for patients with diabetic neuropathy (DNP). The human antibody products are highly specific for MMP-9 and MMP-14, respectively, which reduces chances for severe adverse events.

“Releviate Therapeutics is well positioned with the expertise and capabilities to deliver the world’s first new class of chronic pain treatment strategies in over 200 years,” says Sergey Sikora, Releviate Therapeutics’ founder and bio-pharmaceutical industry veteran. “This agreement enables us to immediately start the next phase of our pre-clinical and clinical development of this promising technology.”