Glucox Biotech has success in Eurostars grant application and receives financing for compound development and stroke investigation in joint project with Maastricht University.

As a result of a successful application to the EU program Eurostars, Vinnova has grated Glucox Biotech financing for the project Neuroprotective Therapy for Ischemic Stroke. At the same time the Dutch authorities has granted Prof. Schmidt at Maastricht University funds for his part of the project.

Through collaboration with Maastricht University we aim to further develop our Nox4 inhibitors, including lead optimization, pharmacokinetics, ADMET, formulation development, proof of principle in animal studies and preclinical toxicology.

Recently, the group of Prof. Schmidt at Maastricht provided proof of concept that NOX4 represents a highly promising novel, mechanism-based therapeutic target for ischemic stroke. They showed that deletion of NOX4 in mice, but not of NOX1 or NOX2, not only massively reduces infarct sizes upon ischemic strokes, but also results in better neurological outcomes, protection of the blood-brain barrier, and improved survival.

As deletion of NOX4 in mice does not result in any apparent basic phenotype, its acute inhibition in humans after ischemic strokes is likely a safe therapy. Moreover, treatment of stroke patients with NOX4 inhibitors should not increase the risk of bleedings in case of a haemorrhagic stroke, as it is currently the case for the approved drug. Thus, the treatment could be started without the need for a CT scan.