Praetego Awarded $0.3M by National Eye Institute to Advance Novel Oral Drug for Diabetic Retinopathy

DURHAM, N.C., March 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- (https://www.praetego.com/) Praetego Inc, a pharmaceutical company protecting patients from neurodegenerative diseases related to aging, is pleased to announce a $0.3M STTR award from the National Eye Institute. The Phase 1 award advances Praetego's lead candidate, PTG-630, into preclinical proof of concept in diabetic retinopathy.

Praetego's proprietary small molecules ("Amadorins") are already demonstrating neuroprotection in the central and peripheral nervous systems in multiple models of neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging. It is now established that diabetic retinopathy (DR) is both a neurodegenerative and a microvascular disease. Praetego's lead Amadorin is being developed as a novel oral candidate for DR, a desired alternative to injectables. The award allows Praetego to establish the merits of PTG-630 ahead of a clinical program.

Praetego's NEI grant expands PTG-630 to a third indication and builds upon promising findings in both Alzheimer's disease and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. It complements active awards from the National Institute of Aging and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. This award initiates a collaboration with Dr. Alistair Barber, Professor of Ophthalmology and a leading researcher in Diabetic Retinopathy, at Penn State University.

ABOUT PRAETEGO's NEUROPROTECTANT SMALL MOLECULES

Praetego's Amadorins address redox metal ion toxicity and inhibit the formation of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs), known as glycotoxins. AGEs arise during normal glucose metabolism. They are exacerbated under hyperglycemic conditions. AGE formation initiates a cascade of cellular and tissue insults that lead to organ damage. AGE pathology is an established driver of neurodegeneration in diabetic complications and in chronic diseases of aging.

Unlike small molecules acting upon single targets, Amadorins interrupt AGE formation and protect the body from oxidative stress. They inhibit upstream oxidative reactions to prevent downstream extracellular and intracellular damage.

Elucidation of the mechanisms of AGE formation and the design of potent inhibitors is the career focus of Praetego's Chief Scientific Officer and Principal Investigator, Dr. Raja G. Khalifah. Says Praetego's Chief Executive Officer, Pepper Landson, "The possibility of replacing the current treatment option for diabetic retinopathy – frequent injections in the eye – represents a far more desirable and practical way to limit this devastating disease."

ABOUT PRAETEGO

Praetego is a pharmaceutical company committed to improving health outcomes in neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging. Praetego is a privately held company located in Durham, NC.

SOURCE Praetego Inc