Serina Reports Positive Cohort 1 Data For Phase 1 Evaluating Parkinson's Therapy

(RTTNews) - Serina Therapeutics Inc. (SER), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, on Wednesday reported the completion of a blinded review evaluating Cohort 1 data from the Phase 1b trial for SER-252 in Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's patients treated with levodopa often exhibit tapering periods of benefit as the doses increase. SER-252 was developed to address cases where treatment by oral levodopa no longer yields viable results, as patients show increasingly erratic motor fluctuations. SER-252 is a formulation of apomorphine developed for subcutaneous administration. Apomorphine is a dopaminergic drug that has shown success in treating Parkinson's, but faced challenges in sustained delivery. SER-252 was designed for a long-acting, sustained release of apomorphine through a subcutaneous injection. By providing continuous dopaminergic stimulation (CDS), the drug may subvert certain side effects, such as dyskinesia, associated with levodopa use. Cohort 1 of the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase SER-252-1b registrational study assessed the lowest dose of SER-252 in the single ascending dose section of the trial. The cohort included 8 patients, and set out to study safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the drug while observing changes in the patients' motor state. The blinded review of results from the cohort was carried out by an independent safety monitoring committee (SMC), which determined that SER-252 showed a sustained pharmacokinetic profile consistent with prolonged apomorphine exposure. Dosed patients also demonstrated periods of improved motor function, as the SMC recommended advancing the drug towards the next level. The company plans to begin the dosing of Cohort 2, with topline data from the single ascending dose portion anticipated in the first half of 2027. SER is currently trading at $2.58, up 3.64%.