Hearing loss company Acousia Therapeutics to present data for ACOU085 at ARO 2022 MidWinter Meeting February 5–9

Acousia Therapeutics GmbH – along with its partners from the Translational Hearing Research Group at the Tübingen Hearing Research Center (Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Tübingen) and Synovo GmbH (Tübingen) – will be presenting data on the the company’s clinical stage lead candidate ACOU085 at the 45th Annual MidWinter Meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology to be held virtually on February 5–9, 2022.

ACOU085 is a proprietary small molecule, otoprotective drug candidate. In December 2021, it was granted a CTA for initiation of first-in-human Phase 1b clinical trial by the German BfArM. The ACOU085 poster presentations at the 2022 ARO MidWinter Meeting will cover preclinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetic and local exposure data obtained using a a proprietary, sustained-release formulation for transtympanic administration.

Small-Molecule KCNQ4 Agonist Protects Against Outer Hair Cell Loss in the SAMP8 Mouse Model of Age-Related Hearing Loss (Peixoto Pinheiro et al.)

This proof-of-concept study uses the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) model to demonstrate the ability of repeated ACOU085 administrations to significantly reduce age-related ABR threshold shifts. This was supported by a histological demonstration of reduced  OHC loss in this age-related hearing loss (ARHL) model using the novel KCNQ4 agonist ACOU085.

Translational Development of ACOU085 for the Prevention of Cisplatin-Induced Hearing Loss (CIHL) (Dyhrfjeld-Johnsen et al.)

This pharmacokinetic and local exposure study, compares the transtympanic administration of proprietary sustained-release formulations of ACOU085 in SAMP8 mice and guinea pigs with fixed drug load and administration volume relative to the species-specific inner ear volume. Significant inner ear exposure is achieved in both species, with a longer duration of exposure in the larger species receiving the largest absolute volume of the proprietary formulation.

Share this release

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on xing
XING
Share on email
Email
Latest news
Contact

Tim Boelke, M.D.
boelke@acousia.com

About Acousia Therapeutics GmbH

Acousia Therapeutics GmbH is a privately held, clinical-stage biotech company based in Tübingen, Germany. The company is dedicated to the identification of small molecules for the effective prevention and treatment of different hearing loss etiologies. Acousia is focused on the development of proprietary drug candidates, which are designed to affect the sensory outer hair cells (OHC) in the cochlea of the inner ear. The unique dual mode of action of its small-molecule Kv7.4 activators combines acute functional OHC enhancement and sustained OHC protection and aims to both enhance and preserve a patient’s natural hearing. Acousia Therapeutics develops drugs for both local and systemic administration.