In the Media

Osmol Therapeutics Inc., of New Haven, Conn., said it initiated IND-enabling studies to develop a therapy to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). A phase I study is projected by the company to begin in 2022. The company’s initial focus is CIPN in breast cancer patients resulting from taxane-based chemotherapy treatment. Taxanes are a chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer and can lead to CIPN in up to 80% of patients, the company said. Osmol’s lead drug, OSM-0205, is based on research in neuronal calcium sensor-1 at Yale University and is designed to prevent the off-target calcium surge caused by taxanes and potentially other chemotherapy treatments associated with peripheral nerve damage. Data from preclinical studies conducted by Osmol show that pretreatment with OSM-0205 prevents neuronal damage from taxanes in mice by preventing the off-target intracellular calcium surge caused by these chemotherapy agents.