Trevena Scores NIH Grant For Research In Major Depression

The biotech has forged a partnership with NIH to discover and begin development of a biased ligand to the delta opioid receptor for the treatment of MDD.

Trevena Inc. will now have one more program to apply its G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) biased ligands platform to. The company will begin research on a biased ligand that targets the delta opioid receptor and is meant to treat major depressive disorder. Its new move into the therapeutic area was prompted by a funding grant from the National Institutes of Health Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network that is valued at $10 million.

"This grant has allowed us to advance a program that we would otherwise not be able to fund," Trevena Chief Scientific Officer Michael Lark said in an interview.

Grants under the project, which is focused on central nervous system research, were awarded to seven research teams, six of which were in academic institutions. Trevena, the only drug discovery company selected to receive funding, will get $460,000 in direct funding and will have access to millions in contracted services. Trevena will work with consultants, contract research organizations, and 15 agency institutes to discover a lead candidate and move that compound through Phase I development. Trevena expects the work to take about five years.

Lark said that the project was originally not funded because of resource limitations, but now the company gets the best of both worlds - another program to move toward its pipeline and resources from an outside source to get it there.

"Pre-clinical studies have shown that this receptor will be beneficial in the treatment of depression," said Lark. "The data suggest that you will see a very rapid response from the receptor."

Trevena is taking a selective approach to activating the delta opioid receptor, which is typically complicated to work with because off target effects can lead to seizures. GPCRs are protein structures that wind across the cell wall, crossing the cell membrane seven times. When another substance, known as a ligand, binds to a GPCR's extracellular part, it triggers a response inside the cell. The company hopes to identify ligands that turn on only some biological responses, instead of a whole variety of biological responses, by using what they term as "biased ligands" (Also see "Launching Ampyra: The Long Road To Approval" - In Vivo, 1 Nov, 2010.).

Lark added that the strong data made this program a logical fit with the company's current platform.

A Complement To Other Programs

King of Prussia, Pa.-based Trevena has other research underway, including a mid-stage lead compound. Its lead program, a drug treating acute heart failure called TRV120027 is currently in Phase IIa. The compound targets the angiotensin II type 1 receptor, and activates beta-arrestin while antagonizing G-protein pathways. The company expects further data to report out in mid-2012.

Beyond that, Trevena is currently moving toward an IND for a compound that targets the mu-opioid receptor and would treat post-surgical pain.

Theses programs have been funded by a series of strong investors, including Alta Partners, HealthCare Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Polaris Venture Partners and Yasuda Enterprise Development Co. The company raised $25 million in its Series A round in early 2008 and then added to its cash position with a Series B financing in July 2010 that totaled $35 million (Also see "With $35 Million B Round, Trevena to Push GPCR-Targeted Program into Phase II for Acute Heart Failure" - Pink Sheet, 14 Jul, 2010.). Trevena said that cash will last it through the middle of 2012 when it expects to look for further funding.

Another contributor to the company's solid financial basis has been grants. It has raised $18 million so far in grant funding, including the most recent NIH contribution. Trevena was awarded a $7.6 million grant in November 2010 from the National Institutes of Health following an allocation from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. The federal money was earmarked for exploration of six more GPCR receptors, with a goal of identifying and improving biased ligands that act upon them.

-Lisa LaMotta ([email protected])