Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced positive results of preclinical studies examining rencofilstat as a potential therapeutic for multiple myeloma. Rencofilstat exerted anti-cancer activity across a large panel of MM cell lines, and most potently, in combination with bortezomib, a proteosome inhibitor and first-line treatment for MM. These results strengthen Hepion's oncology initiatives and further support rencofilstat's poly-indication potential.

The combination of rencofilstat and bortezomib produced 100% cytotoxicity in cell culture experiments across all 16 MM cell lines, including three lines that are characterized as bortezomib-resistant. The cytotoxic activity of rencofilstat plus bortezomib was synergistic in every cell line, showing greater cytotoxicity in combination than the sum of the two drugs individually. Rencofilstat administered individually resulted in reduced cell numbers in most cell lines, and the suppressive effect of rencofilstat correlated to reduced gene expression levels of cyclophilins A and D, two of the known targets of rencofilstat.

Most of the experiments were performed by Diag2Tec (Montpellier, France), a contract research organization with expertise in MM. These results were consistent with an independent study that reported that cyclophilin A inhibition should be considered as a therapeutic strategy for resistant MM.1 They were also similar to recent studies showing that a combination of rencofilstat and another proteosome inhibitor, ixazomib, synergistically killed prostate cancer cells. Together, they provide strong rationale for considering a rencofilstat-proteosome inhibitor combination for clinical investigation in MM or other cancers.

Hepion has now documented beneficial effects of rencofilstat in experimental models of fibrosis in multiple organs, liver cancer, prostate cancer, thrombosis-related platelet activation, viral infections, lung injury, and MM.