NeuroVive to Present New Mitochondrial Research Data at May Conference in UK

NeuroVive Pharmaceutical AB, together with researchers from Lund University, will release new research data in three poster presentations at the upcoming Mitochondrial Medicine: Developing New Treatments for Mitochondrial Disease conference, to be held May 4–6, in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The data will largely be related to NeuroVive’s drug discovery platform, NVP015.

Mitochondria are responsible for producing more than 90 percent of the energy the body needs to function, with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation the final step in the conversion of nutrients into cellular energy (ATP). Deficiencies in the first complex of the mitochondrial respiratory chain are the most frequent, leading to the production of insufficient amounts of energy to sustain the body.

NeuroVive has designed its platform, NVP015, to generate novel drug candidates that control mitochondrial energy production in rare diseases associated with deficiencies in complex I of the respiratory chain. The company expects to create a cell permeable pro-drug of the endogenous succinate — an energy substrate — that makes succinate available to complex II, and allows ATP production even when complex I is not working properly.

The poster presentations will focus on distinct aspects of mitochondrial diseases. Particularly, they will reveal data on the role of distinct succinate pro-drug candidates from NeuroVive’s discovery platform in mitochondrial respiration. Additionally, they will also show their findings on the role of mitochondrial energy substrates in the treatment of patients with metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA), and on the potential use of platelet respirometry for the diagnosis of mitochondrial diseases.

The research performed by NeuroVive’s scientific team and researchers at Lund University also demonstrated that the pro-drug strategy used for succinate can be adapted to other substrates/intermediates of the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

“We are very pleased that our team will present findings from different areas of our research as this demonstrates the breadth of our mitochondrial research expertise. We have been making good progress and to be able to share and discuss our findings with other mitochondrial disease experts and key opinion leaders is a fantastic opportunity,” Dr. Eskil Elmér, chief scientific officer at NeuroVive, said in a press release. “This interaction is important as we continue to develop our exiting projects towards becoming medicines in orphan disease areas where alternative treatments are very much needed.”