A project involving researchers from The University of Western Australia is among those to receive funding from life sciences innovation accelerator MTPConnect to treat people with type 2 diabetes.
Professors Bu Yeap and Girish Dwivedi, from UWA's Medical School, are clinical advisers to ProGenis Pharmaceuticals, which is investigating the use of a small RNA drug PGP-011 to treat insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes.
Professor Yeap, who is also clinical lead on the project, said type 2 diabetes mellitus was a major public health concern in Australia and globally, with more than one million people currently living with the condition in Australia and around 500 million worldwide.
"Existing treatments do not directly address one of the root causes of type 2 diabetes, which is insulin resistance," he said.
"This occurs when the body does not respond properly to insulin, leading to high blood glucose levels and ill-health.
"Many people with type 2 diabetes progress from tablet treatments to weekly injectables, to needing daily or multiple daily doses of insulin."
Professor Yeap said PGP-011 worked by blocking the production of a specific cellular enzyme, a validated target which interfered with insulin production.
"Research by ProGenis indicates that PGP-011 effectively reduces expression of this target, and lowers glucose levels better than dapagliflozin, one of the current accepted treatments," he said.
"PGP-011 holds promise for treating people with type 2 diabetes by making the body more responsive to insulin action."
The funding comes from MTPConnect's Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) Drugs and Devices program, an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund.
The announcement was made at the BIO International Convention in Boston, one of the world's biggest biotech events bringing together sector leaders from Australia and around the world.
Part of the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub, MTPConnect is an independent, not-for-profit organisation championing growth of Australia's vibrant medical products sector. It operates accelerator programs to support the development of cutting-edge medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical innovations.
