Renatus Inc. today presented data on RN-005, a cholesterol metabolism modulator, in two preclinical chronic kidney disease models at the 2023 Scale-up Challenge Lab Conference.

Renatus Inc., a pharma company focusing on cholesterol metabolism modulators that can address dysregulated cholesterol homeostasis in varying diseases, today announced preclinical data on RN-005 in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) models at the 2023 Scale-up Challenge Lab Conference in Incheon, South Korea.

Cholesterol accumulation and dysregulated cholesterol homeostasis is commonly observed in the kidney of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which affects more than 10% of the general population worldwide. Excessive cholesterol accumulation causes lipotoxicity, which can ultimately lead to kidney dysfunction and failure. Unfortunately, there is no drug available in the market that can directly target intracellular cholesterol and promote its efflux. Renatus' lead candidate, RN-005, is a novel synthetic cyclodextrin that can modulate cholesterol metabolism and promote its efflux.

"In both chronic kidney disease models, RN-005 showed consistent renoprotective effects by decreasing blood creatinine and BUN levels and albuminuria. We also found that RN-005 effectively lowered renal cholesterol and triglycerides contents, which are significantly eleveated in the disease model," said Heegon Kim, CEO of Renatus. "These findings suggest that targeting renal cholesterol, not systemic cholesterol, can provide a new therapeutic option for the treatment of chronic kidney disease."

New data also highlighted that RN-005 exerted renoprotective effects at a much lower dose than hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD), which is being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of varying cholesterol-driven diseases. Due to the low dose requirement, RN-005 is being developed for subcutaneous formulation, as opposed to HPβCD that requires high dose administration and therefore should be infused over hours, for both human and companion animals.

About RENATUS

Renatus is a pharma company thriving to develop next generation cyclodextrins to provide safe treatment options for patients living with cholesterol-associated diseases. Renatus seeks to provide critical impact in developing translational cyclodextrin therapies and fulfill its vision to protect the world from various cholesterol-associate diseases. For more information, please visit www.renatustx.com