Thetis Pharmaceuticals Secures $4.2 Million From the Helmsley Charitable Trust to Advance Its First-in-Class, Oral Resolvin E1 Therapy for Crohn’s Disease
RIDGEFIELD, CT AND NEW YORK, NY – (April 5, 2022) – Thetis Pharmaceuticals (“Thetis”), a pioneering therapeutics biotechnology company developing a first-in-class small molecule (TP-317) as a potential oral first-line therapy for treatment of Crohn’s disease, has secured $4.2 million in non-dilutive financing from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Structured as a program-related investment in the form of a loan, the Helmsley funding supports the early clinical development of TP-317.
Current treatment options for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease, have significant limitations: only a subset of people with IBD experience improvement with treatment, many people lose their response to treatment over time, many available treatments must be injected with a needle, and they can suppress the immune system leaving some people susceptible to infections and cancer. TP-317 is a stabilized small molecule of Resolvin E1, a naturally occurring signaling molecule that promotes epithelial repair and mucosal homeostasis without compromising host defense. If successful, this project would bring a novel oral therapeutic closer to market with the potential to improve outcomes and quality of life for people living with Crohn’s disease.
Dr. Bruce Sands, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York and a paid clinical advisor to Thetis, commented, “Mechanistically, TP-317 has the potential to address a critical unmet need for safe, oral therapies for Crohn’s disease patients without the side effects associated with immune suppression.”
“The Crohn’s Disease Program at Helmsley is dedicated to addressing the needs of people living with the disease and invests in research and technologies that will improve care and treatment,” said Dr. Jessica Langer, Program Officer for the Helmsley Crohn’s Disease Program. “Ensuring that promising potential therapies are not lost in development due to lack of early-stage funding is an important part of this. We are excited to work with Thetis as we seek to improve treatment options and quality of life for people with Crohn’s disease.”
“TP-317 has the potential to shift the paradigm in the treatment of IBD,” said Gary Mathias, co-founder and CEO of Thetis. “We are grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for supporting our vision and providing an opportunity to validate this novel therapeutic approach.”
About TP-317
Overview: TP-317 is a patented small molecule drug that delivers Resolvin E1, an endogenous lipid mediator that engages BLT1 as a biased agonist to promote immune homeostasis . Unlike anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-cancer agents that are immuno-suppressive, TP-317 activates innate and adaptive immune pathways to treat disease without compromising host-protective immunity.
IBD Program: TP-317 is being developed in IBD as first-line, oral therapy for moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease and as second-line, oral therapy for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis in patients who are not well controlled on existing therapies. The anticipated high safety premium and unique epithelial repair mechanism of TP-317 supports its use as adjunct therapy to standard-of-care biologics and oral immunomodulators.
About Inflammatory Bowel Disease
IBD is a chronic, progressive disease characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the intestines that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Symptoms typically include diarrhea mixed with blood, abdominal pain, increased bowel movements and in severe cases, weight loss and fatigue. Currently available medications alleviate inflammation and reduce symptoms, but do not provide a cure or prevent long-term complications, and some have serious adverse effects, including increased risk of severe infection and malignancy. As a result, there continues to be a high unmet medical need for additional oral agents that are safe and effective for the induction and maintenance of remission of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
About Thetis Pharmaceuticals
Thetis is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer. Thetis’ proprietary HEALER™ technology platform enables the pharmaceutical development of Resolvins, a class of naturally occurring signaling molecules mediators that promote immune homeostasis. Thetis’ HEALER™ technology overcomes the stability, manufacturing, and formulation hurdles that have limited the development of Resolvins as pharmaceutical agents, unlocking their robust pharmacology to be developed as first-in-class drugs with composition of matter patent protection.
About the Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the United States and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $3 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Crohn’s Disease Program supports impactful ideas and mobilizes a global community committed to improving the lives of Crohn’s disease patients while pursuing a cure. For more information, visit helmsleytrust.org.
Contact Information
Thetis
For more information, please visit Thetis Pharmaceuticals’ website (www.thetispharma.com) and follow Thetis on Twitter (@thetispharma) or email us at info@thetispharma.com
Helmsley Charitable Trust
Alison Carley
Communications Officer
acarley@helmsleytrust.org