KUALA LUMPUR: Amplexd Therapeutics Inc (Amplexd) has secured US$2 million from an Asia-based life sciences focused family office, towards the finalisation of product development ahead of Phase 1/2 clinical trials for its non-invasive treatments of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN), the precursor to cervical cancer.
“The funding marks a major milestone in our R&D efforts for our two therapies after extremely promising preclinical studies were completed.
“The capital will enable us to finalise development and IND submissions ahead of first-in-human clinical trials, expected to commence later this year,” said its co-founder and chief executive officer Alia Rahman in a statement.
The strategic funding positions Amplexd to reshape the landscape in human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical precancer treatments with two topical, non-invasive options as potential alternatives to the “watch and wait” approach for low-grade CIN, and invasive surgery for high-grade CIN.
Hence, Amplexd is poised to move the needle with the development of two low-cost therapies that favour patient comfort and increase access, and a vision to provide accessible solutions to target the often-overlooked public health crisis of HPV-induced cervical precancers.
About five per cent of cervical screenings in the United States and Europe reveal abnormalities at any given time, with significantly higher rates in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. CIN results from certain oncogenic varieties of HPV, which can transform cervical cells into invasive cancer if left untreated.
Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death globally in women and can largely be prevented by treatment at the CIN stage, according to World Health Organisation.
A clinical stage patient-scientist-led biotech company specialising in accessible treatments for HPV-induced CIN, Amplexd was born from Rahman’s personal experience with persistent CIN, following a diagnosis of carcinoma in situ (high-grade CIN) and an invasive surgery, a 13-year journey with chronic CIN ensued.
Founded in 2022, Amplexd has been gaining prominence in the women’s health space as a company at the technological vanguard of the treatment of CIN, a disease which affects upwards of 178 million women globally every year. – BERNAMA
