Merozyne Therapeutics launches project to develop a treatment for patients with MDC1A

Merozyne Therapeutics AB has started a project aiming to develop a pharmaceutical treatment against laminin alpha2 chain-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy (MDC1A) by exploiting the unique research conducted by Prof. Madeleine Durbeej-Hjalt and Dr Virginie Carmignac at Lund University.

Merozyne Therapeutics was recently established by a number of entrepreneurial life science companies co-localised at the research park Medicon Village in Lund who teamed up with the two innovative researchers. The founding members of Merozyne Therapeutics will each contribute their highly complementary expertise in drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, disease biology, IP & project management and business development, with a combined staff of nearly 30 experienced biotech professionals.

Encouraging data have already been obtained in a relevant in vivo disease model. Merozyne Therapeutics will now raise a first round of capital to further advance the project and develop a clinical candidate.

Merozyne Therapeutics aiming to develop an effective drug therapy for children affected by MDC1A

The drug development programme now embarked on by Merozyne Therapeutics has the potential to offer new and unique possibilities to treat MDC1A. Such a new pharmaceutical treatment will provide improved quality of life and potentially a prolonged life span for the patient.

Björn Walse, CEO of SARomics Biostructures, commented, “We are excited about this new innovative project and the strength of the project team. Our collective aim is to develop an effective drug therapy for the children affected by this disease.”

Eskil Söderlind, Partner at Avena Partners, says “The project at Merozyne Therapeutics opens up a promising possibility for future pharmaceutical treatment of MDC1A. The members of the joint team in the company complement each other in a very productive way.”