Suffolk Reporter

A non-opioid investigational drug, ART26.12, developed by Artelo Biosciences in Solana Beach, CA, has advanced in clinical trials after a positive review by the study’s safety review committee (SRC). The committee recommended moving to the next dose level following an assessment of data from initial volunteers in a first-in-human clinical trial.

ART26.12 was discovered and initially developed by Iwao Ojima and Martin Kaczocha at Stony Brook University. The technology is based on fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) inhibitors and was licensed to Artelo in 2018 by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York.

Neuropathic pain affects approximately eight percent of the U.S. population, translating to about 20 million people. ART26.12 targets chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a significant issue for cancer patients during and after therapy.

The development team chose FABPs as drug targets within the endocannabinoid system to modulate lipids inside cells as a potential treatment for pain, inflammation, and cancer. According to Artelo, ART26.12 is the lead compound in their proprietary FABP platform and is reportedly the first selective FABP5 inhibitor to enter clinical trials.

In early January, the SRC completed its initial safety review of ART26.12 involving eight volunteers. This advancement will lead to more subjects participating and higher doses being evaluated in phase 1 of the clinical trial.

Artelo suggests that other potential uses for this compound include treatments related to cancer, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, and anxiety.

Ojima and Kaczocha continue their involvement with Artelo as consultants on advancing these compounds through clinical trials.