Aptinyx has completed a $70 million series B financing round to fund the expansion of its clinical-stage pipeline of therapies targeting neurologic disorders, including fibromyalgia.
The funds will support clinical studies of several investigational candidates, including NYX-2925, which is in development for the treatment of fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain.
NYX-2925 is a modulator of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. These receptors are dysfunctional in several major nervous system disorders.
NYX-2925 has demonstrated robust efficacy in preclinical models of numerous neuropathic pain conditions, with a favorable safety profile. In Phase 1 studies in healthy human participants, the investigational candidate was well tolerated across a wide dose range, including dose levels greater than those needed to yield therapeutic effects.
The drug is currently in exploratory Phase 2 clinical development (NCT03249103) as a treatment for fibromyalgia.
The primary goal of the trial is to determine whether daily doses of NYX-2925 change markers of central pain processing. To reach that determination, the trial is evaluating changes in evoked pain and visual stimulation, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), resting state function connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) in fibromyalgia patients taking NYX-2925 versus a placebo.
The trial is currently recruiting up to 24 adult patients with fibromyalgia for clinical sites in Michigan and Ohio. For more information, visit the trial’s Contacts and Locations page.
NYX-2925 is also being studied in a Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03219320) for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, an indication for which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation.
“This financing will provide fuel for our growing pipeline as we continue to develop our innovative and differentiated NMDA receptor modulators for the treatment of a variety of neurologic disorders with high unmet medical need,” Norbert Riedel, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Aptinyx, said in a press release.
Aptinyx has also recently initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of NYX-783 as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The FDA has also granted fast track designation for this indication.