Invizius’s Pioneering Dialysis Product H-Guard Completes First In-Human Clinical Study
May 22, 2024 – Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical – Invizius, biomarkers, complement regulator, haemodialysis system
- Study demonstrated safety and tolerability of H-Guard, a second generation complement regulator, designed to address serious immune system-driven complications of dialysis
- Encouraging biomarker data positions H-Guard for upcoming Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) trial focused on reducing complement mediated renal tubule cell damage during Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT).
22 May 2024 — Manchester, UK — Invizius, a biotechnology company developing breakthrough treatments for patients on dialysis, is pleased to announce that eight patients have been successfully treated at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) with pioneering product, H-Guard Priming Solution, in the company’s first-in-human phase 1 clinical study.
The study was conducted at the NIHR Manchester CRF located at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), part of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, and is led by Professor Sandip Mitra and co-investigators, Dr Leonard Ebah and Dr Duha Ilyas.
The study is investigating the safety and tolerability of the pioneering product, H-Guard, in patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) who are vulnerable to dialysis-induced immune activation. Immune activation occurs when a patient’s blood comes into contact with foreign surfaces in the dialysis circuit, which can result in excessive inflammation, coagulation, vascular and organ damage and other adverse consequences. H-Guard is flushed through the dialysis machine; coating all blood exposed surfaces, prior to commencing treatment. The aim is to prevent serious complications by attenuating the patient’s immune response to the dialysis procedure.
The successful trial involved a single treatment with H-Guard with pre and post treatment evaluations demonstrating the safety and tolerability of the H-Guard product. Dialysis, the removal of toxins from the blood by filtration, worked as normal when the product was attached to the filter. The next step in the trials is the design of a phase 2b study for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) where the Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) filter in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is coated with H-Guard. This study aims to demonstrate a reduction in complement mediated renal tubule damage resulting in less time spent in the ICU and prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) developing.
Dr Magnus Nicolson, chief executive officer of Invizius, said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Professor Mitra and his team to demonstrate the safety of H-Guard on dialysis patients. This is an important milestone for H-Guard and Invizius, allowing us to progress into a larger efficacy study showing the clinical benefits of controlling complement activation in CRRT and a number of extracorporeal systems.”
Professor Sandip Mitra, consultant nephrologist and professor of Renal Medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, UK, commented: “As our aim is to improve the outcomes of patients on dialysis, we are very encouraged by the results of the H-Guard trial. This week at the ERA in Stockholm, Sweden, Dr Ilyas Duha will be presenting data from Invizius sponsored trial CompAct-HD. This is the largest kinetic analysis of complement activation in routine haemodialysis (HD) ever undertaken in UK. Our results indicate patient specific complement activation associated with inflammatory response during routine haemodialysis. Reduction in complement activation in HD may yield significant clinical outcome benefits.”
H-Guard is a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-coagulatory, second generation, complement regulator which coats the dialysis filter and tubing during the priming process. This is designed to suppress complement activation on the extracorporeal circuit’s surfaces by recruiting and enhancing the patient’s own, natural complement modulator, Factor H, whilst still allowing effective infection control.
Invizius collaborated with the clinical trial organisation, TCRSolutions who managed the trial on their behalf.
Invizius will be present at the 61st ERA Congress taking place in Stockholm 23-26 May 2024.
About Invizius
Invizius is developing second-generation complement therapies to treat inflammatory, fibrotic and autoimmune disorders. Invizius’s proprietary approach was born out of research at Edinburgh University, UK, into how pathogenic microbes evade the human complement system. The novel mechanism of action enhances the activity of the body’s own complement regulators to effectively downregulate immune responses while maintaining antimicrobial protection. The pioneering product, H-Guard, addresses serious complement-driven complications of dialysis and enables additional indications in other extra-corporeal treatments (CRRT, ECMO, cardiopulmonary bypass). A second product PD-Protect is being developed to extend the period that patients can sustain home-based, peritoneal dialysis. The company is working with Key Opinion Leaders from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, UK; Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; University of Heidelberg, Germany; University Medical Centre Groeningen, the Netherlands; and University of Strathclyde, Scotland. It is backed by Mercia, Downing, Calculus and Syensqo, a corporate VC. Other investors include University of Edinburgh’s Old College Capital fund, Scottish Enterprise and well-known life science investor, Dr Jonathan Milner. For more information on Invizius, please visit: www.invizius.com
