LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Asana BioSciences, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that it will present ASN002 data demonstrating improvements in skin pathology, disease related genes and inflammation biomarkers, correlating with clinical efficacy, in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. These data will be presented in the late breaking news session at the EADV Annual Congress in Paris, France, to be held September 12-16, 2018. The details of the presentation are as follows:
Abstract: 4546
Session: D3T01.1: Late Breaking News
Date and Time: Saturday, September 15, 08:00 – 11:15 am
Location: Grand Amphitheatre
Presenting Author: Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD; Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, NY
Title: ASN002, a dual oral inhibitor of JAK/SYK signaling, improves the lesional skin phenotype towards non-involved skin in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis patients, correlating with clinical outcomes
Authors/Investigators: E. Guttman-Yassky, A.B. Pavel, T. Song, H.J. Kim, R. Bissonnette, L. Denis, N. Rao, D. Zammit
Dysregulation of Th2 and Th22 cytokine pathways is implicated in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. The inhibition of JAK and SYK pathways diminishes cytokine production and signaling including those mediated by Th2 and Th22 cytokines. The presentation will highlight the results of a Phase 1b study in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis patients with once daily oral treatment with ASN002, which was well-tolerated and showed significant and progressive clinical improvements in EASI scores from baseline compared to placebo. Best efficacy with ASN002 was seen with ~80% improvements in mean EASI score. Clinical responses were associated with significant and progressive reductions from baseline through four weeks in AD-associated biomarkers in skin biopsies. ASN002 induced improvement in epidermal hyperplasia, reduced cellular infiltrates in skin lesions and improved lesional skin to a normalized skin phenotype. Significant correlations were seen in key Th2 and Th22 biomarkers in skin and EASI improvements. ASN002 also induced significant and progressive reductions in the serum AD inflammatory signature.
Dr. Emma Guttman-Yassky, the Sol and Clara Kest Professor of Dermatology, Vice Chair, Department of Dermatology, and Director of the Eczema Center and Laboratory for Inflammatory Skin Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in NY, stated, “We currently do not have effective and safe oral treatments for our moderate-to-severe AD patients, as available immune suppressants harbor many side effects. It is exciting to have a novel oral therapeutic option such as ASN002 that can achieve rapid control of clinical disease activity in patients with moderate-to-severe AD, also coupled with significant improvements in the AD lesional skin molecular profile that reverses towards the non-lesional skin fingerprint. It would be interesting to see if these results are confirmed in the ongoing Phase 2b study with ASN002 after longer treatment.”
About Asana BioSciences, LLC
Asana BioSciences is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company based near Princeton, NJ. Asana is focused on discovery and development of novel targeted investigational medicines in Immunology/Inflammation and Oncology.
Multiple assets from Asana’s portfolio are currently in clinical development including its lead asset ASN002, which is being evaluated in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in the Phase 2b RADIANT Study (Relief from Atopic DermatitIs with JAK and SYK INhibiTion - NCT03654755).
Asana’s second clinical asset ASN003 is a selective inhibitor of BRAF and PI3 kinases. Dual targeting of RAF and PI3K pathways has the potential to overcome and/or delay acquired resistance to selective RAF inhibitors. Enrollment is ongoing in a Phase I study in patients with BRAFV600 mutated metastatic melanoma, metastatic colorectal cancer, or advanced non-small cell lung cancer, and advanced solid tumors with documented PIK3CA mutation (NCT02961283).
ASN007 is the third molecule in clinical development, which is a potent inhibitor of the extracellular-signal-regulated kinases ERK1 and ERK2, key players in the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK (MAPK) signaling pathway. ASN007 is being evaluated in a Phase I study in patients with advanced solid tumors, including BRAF and KRAS mutant cancers (NCT03415126).
ASN004 is an Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) that targets the 5T4 oncofetal antigen, which is expressed in a wide range of malignant tumors, while very limited expression is found in normal tissues. ASN004 demonstrates robust and durable antitumor activity after single administration in multiple human tumor xenograft models. A First-in-Human Phase I trial is currently planned for initiation in 2019.
ASN008 is a novel, topical Na+-channel blocker with high functional selectivity for itch and pain sensing neurons. It is being developed for the treatment of chronic itch conditions and pain with rapid onset and long duration of action after a single application. The IND filing is currently planned for 2H 2018.
