Clene Awarded Grant From National Multiple Sclerosis Society to Advance Development of CNM-Au8 in Non-Active Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

SALT LAKE CITY, May 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clene, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLNN), along with its subsidiaries “Clene” and its wholly owned subsidiary Clene Nanomedicine, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on revolutionizing the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, today announced that Clene has received a grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) via the organization’s Fast Forward Program, a competitive, expert-reviewed funding opportunity to support commercial organizations that are developing new therapies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The specific focus of this program is to identify and fund the development of promising new therapies that promote nervous system repair and regeneration in MS. Clene’s lead drug candidate, CNM-Au8, a catalytically active gold nanocrystal suspension, has been shown to elicit robust remyelination and repair in multiple in vitro and animal models by enhancing energy metabolism in central nervous system cells.

The one-year grant will fund Cohort 2 of REPAIR-MS, a Phase 2 clinical study investigating target engagement of CNM-Au8 in patients with non-active progressive MS. Using non-invasive brain imaging, the study will enroll up to 15 individuals with primary progressive or non-active secondary progressive MS and determine the effects of 12 weeks of CNM-Au8 daily oral dosing on critical brain energy metabolites that have been shown to be compromised in individuals with MS. The study will be carried out at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School under lead investigator Dr. Peter Sguigna and imaging expert Dr. Jimin Ren. Benjamin Greenberg, M.D., a Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical & Translational Research at UTSW, is not affiliated with this project.

“We are thrilled to be the recipient of a prestigious Fast Forward Grant and eager to advance our understanding of CNM-Au8in the treatment of non-active progressive MS,” said Karen Ho, Ph.D., VP of Translational Medicine, of Clene Nanomedicine. “Our previous REPAIR-PD and REPAIR-MS (Cohort 1) studies demonstrated target engagement with CNM-Au8 treatment in both patients with Parkinson’s Disease and in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Positive results from this study will extend the demonstration of brain target engagement of CNM-Au8 to non-active progressive MS as well.”