GATE

GATE – Preclinical and clinical development of an innovative antagonist of GPR40 receptor in type 2 diabetes treatment

Funding Agreement No.: POIR.01.01.01-00-0334/17-00 under submeasure 1.1.1 PO IR (Smart Growth Operational Programme) “Industrial research and development works carried out by enterprises”.
Date of the contract conclusion: 08. 12. 2017

Diabetes is a chronic, systemic metabolic disease characterised by elevated levels of glucose due to disordered secretion and activity of an endogenous hormone – insulin. Diabetes is one of the greatest and continually growing problems of modern medicine (WHO, 2016). It is estimated that an average of 4.9 million people every year die due to diabetes and its complications (50% of deaths occur in patients under the age of 60). Lack of therapy allowing for a permanent modification of the disease without developing long-term side effects presents a challenge for both research institutions and pharma companies. The project aims at designing an innovative and unique orally-administered anti-diabetic drug stimulating insulin secretion without the risk of hyperglycemia and side effects common in the other products available on the market. The drug developed by Celon Pharma will specifically activate a signal pathway operating mainly in pancreas beta cells which has never been done before in diabetes treatment. The GPR40 receptor will be activated in beta cells only in the presence of high glucose concentrations and therefore it will stimulate insulin secretion during and directly after the meal. Furthermore, this newly synthesised chemical substance is a much stronger antagonist than natural GPR40 ligands, i.e. fatty acids, and its unique micromolecular nature diminish toxicity characteristic of fatty acids. Therefore, this new drug will be a strong competitor for those already on the market and will offer an alternative to patients. The project will be carried out in four stages and its result will be the final dosage form (tablets or capsules) tested in phase 2 clinical trial to confirm its effectiveness and safety for patients.


Total value of the GATE project:
39 328 955,23 PLN
Total value of funding:24 783 853,02 PLN