Resalis Therapeutics is a biopharma company focused on the development of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies to treat metabolic disorders, including MAFLD/NAFLD/NASH, obesity, and cancer.
Resalis is applying LNA (locked nucleic acid) technology to inhibit miR-22 activity and restore a healthy homeostat in livers affected by metabolic disorders. miR-22 is a key player in the regulation of lipid metabolism and its levels are correlated with several metabolic dysfunctions including NAFLD (MAFLD) and obesity. Pharmacological inhibition of miR-22 has proved to protect mice from MAFLD and obesity, and to revert hepatic steatosis and fat accumulation in obese animals, which has paved the way for the development of anti-MAFLD therapy for humans.
Metabolic syndromes are complex diseases regulated via multiple pathways, including several miR-22 target genes. Mechanistically, miR-22 orchestrates multiple pro-lipogenic programs modulating both direct and indirect targets. Inhibition of miR-22 via ASO LNA helps restore regulation of lipid biosynthesis and promotes metabolic rewiring towards higher energy expenditure and browning of white adipose tissue, resulting in a parallel positive effect on prevention of fibrosis and inflammation.
Resalis Therapeutics is advancing its pipeline of first-in-class anti-miRNA compounds toward clinical validation, supported by preclinical evidence generated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA) and Aalborg University (Copenhagen, Denmark).