Halia Therapeutics, Inc.

Dive Brief:Altitude Labs, a biotechnology accelerator backed by Recursion Pharmaceuticals, on Wednesday said it is launching a new fund to give pre-seed grants to life sciences researchers and startups disrupted by cuts to federal funding provided through the National Institutes of Health.The fund will offer $100,000 to $250,000 in capital, as well as a 12 months of lab and office space, to early-stage biotechnology companies that qualified for funding through the federal Small Business Innovation Research program.Earning our early SBIRs was a pivotal moment for Recursion, CEO Chris Gibson said in a statement. The few million dollars that came in via the SBIR mechanism in our early years allowed us to build the fundamentals of our platform upon which we have now raised over $1 billion in private investment to turn Recursion into a $4 billion publicly traded company with eight therapeutics in clinical development.Dive Insight:Policies put in place by the Trump administration have roiled the scientific research community, causing widespread concerns among the academic laboratories that furnish much of the basic science biotechs eventually license.Most consequentially, the administration is seeking to substantially cut indirect funding provided by the National Institutes of Health, which helps academic institutions pay for the overhead costs associated with federal research grants.Before pitching venture capital firms, biotech entrepreneurs can also turn to federal grants for help getting their startups off the ground.Young companies rely on these grants for non-dilutive capital, or cash that doesnt require them to hand over an ownership stake.These grants can be crucial to startups survival,helping pay for lab space or materials before a company has generated the research needed to convince venture capital firms to invest.Agencies like the NIH have provided these grants for decades. According to federal data, the NIH funded nearly $1.3 billion in small business grants in 2023.In having Recursion launch an early research fund, Gibson says he hopes to support young biotechs that are at risk of stalling out without federal grants.The fund will operate under the umbrella of Altitude Labs, an accelerator Gibson debuted in 2020 in Salt Lake City.Gibson will lead the fund alongside David Bearss, the co-founder of several therapeutics companies including Halia Therapeutics, and Altitude Lab's executive director, Chandana Haque.Federal funding disruptions are stalling groundbreaking biotech research, said Haque. With this fund, we are doing our small part to help secure the future of biotech innovation in America.Any SBIR-reviewed company can apply for funding, but, if accepted, they would need to relocate to Salt Lake Cite to access the lab space and community that Altitude touts as part of its offering.Recursions response to the Trump administrations new policies is particularly noteworthy, as much of the biopharmaceutical sector has publicly stayed quiet on the changes underway at the NIH and Food and Drug Administration. '

LEHI, Utah, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Halia Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of developing treatments for chronic inflammation and related disorders, announced today that its leadership team will attend and participate in a panel discussion during the 43nd J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (January 13 – 16, 2025), and will also present at the 1st Annual BioPharma Obesity Innovation Forum (January 11, 2025), both taking place in San Francisco. At The BioPharma Obesity Innovation Forum, Dave J. Bearss, Ph.D., President and CEO of Halia will be presenting data on its lead candidate, HT-6184, the first drug to target the protein NEK7 to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activity to resolve chronic inflammation for treating multiple diseases including the chronic inflammatory effects of obesity. Presentation details at BioPharma Obesity Innovation Forum: Title: Targeting Inflammation in Obesity: HT-6184 as a Synergistic Partner to GLP-1 Agonists for Enhanced Glucose Control and Weight Loss Date: January 11, 2025 Time: 11:40 a.m. PST Presenter: David J. Bearss, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Halia Therapeutics Location: Marines' Memorial Club, San Francisco During the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Dave J. Bearss, Ph.D., President and CEO of Halia will be participating in an Executive Roundtable discussion at the 13th annual WuXi Global Forum 2025. Roundtable discussion details: Date: January 14, 2025 Time: 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. PST Presenter: David J. Bearss, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Halia Therapeutics Location: Continental Ballroom 5, Ballroom Level of Tower 3, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco David J. Bearss, CEO of Halia, alongside the management team, will be available for one-on-one meetings with investors and strategic partners at each of these conferences. Please contact Logan Berrett ([email protected]) for scheduling. About Halia Therapeutics, Inc. Halia Therapeutics is pioneering a pipeline of novel therapeutics to enhance the lives of patients with chronic inflammatory disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The company's initial programs target NEK7 and LRRK2. Halia's lead candidate, HT-6184—a novel NEK7/NLRP3 inhibitor—has successfully completed a Phase I study ( NCT05447546) assessing its safety and tolerability when administered as single or multiple oral doses at escalating levels in healthy volunteers. Furthermore, Halia has launched two Phase II trials: one evaluating HT-6184's efficacy in treating lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) and another examining its impact on post-procedure diagnostic biomarkers of inflammation and pain ( NCT06241742). Recently, Halia initiated a Phase I trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of its LRRK2 inhibitor, HT-4253, in healthy volunteers ( NCT06537817). Headquartered in Lehi, Utah, Halia Therapeutics invites you to learn more at . Connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter (X) for the latest updates. Company Contact Halia Therapeutics [email protected] +1 (385) 355-4315 Media Contact: Ignacio Guerrero-Ros, Ph.D. Russo Partners, LLC [email protected] +1 (646) 942-5604 SOURCE Halia Therapeutics WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

LEHI, UT, USA I December 10, 2024 I Halia Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of developing treatments for chronic inflammation and related disorders, announced today promising topline data resulting in the advancement to the second stage of its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating HT-6184, a first-in-class allosteric NEK7/NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor given orally, in patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS). The initial cohort of 18 patients with LR-MDS demonstrated a hematological improvement-erythroid (HI-E) response to HT-6184 treatment following 16 weeks of monotherapy, exceeding the preset requirement of at least three responders. Having achieved this critical milestone, the trial now advances to its second stage enrolling an additional 8-10 patients to further validate HT-6184’s potential. “The high frequency of erythroid response following treatment with HT-6184 validates the key importance of the NLRP3 inflammasome and myddosome pathways as pathogenetic drivers of ineffective hematopoiesis in MDS, offering the prospect of a safe and effective oral therapeutic for LR-MDS patients,” said Alan List, MD Halia SAB Member. “This trial represents a significant step forward in addressing the unmet needs of patients with LR-MDS,” said Dr. David J. Bearss, Ph.D., President and CEO of Halia Therapeutics. “By targeting the underlying inflammatory signaling driving this condition, HT-6184 aims to transform treatment outcomes and improve quality of life for patients who currently face limited options.” The Phase 2 trial utilizes a Simon’s minimax two-stage design to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HT-6184 in up to 40 patients across multiple clinical sites in India. Primary endpoints include hematologic improvements such as transfusion dependency and changes in hemoglobin levels. Secondary endpoints assess HT-6184’s impact on biomarkers of inflammasome activation in MDS and the size of somatic gene mutation clones, offering a comprehensive view of its therapeutic potential. The trial is expected to conclude by the end of Q2 2025. The results of this study are anticipated to provide pivotal data to support HT-6184’s continued clinical development and eventual regulatory submission. About Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS): An Urgent Unmet Need MDS is a group of hematologic cancers characterized by bone marrow dysfunction, leading to abnormal and underdeveloped blood cells. These conditions result in complications such as anemia, increased infection risk, and, in some cases, progression to acute myeloid leukemia. Current treatments are limited in efficacy and durability for patients with LR-MDS, underscoring the need for innovative therapeutic solutions. Novel oral agents are needed for the treatment of this disease to alleviate the need to go into the office for treatment either with an injection or needed infusion. About HT-6184 HT-6184 is a groundbreaking drug candidate that targets the protein NEK7 through an allosteric mechanism. NEK7 plays a crucial role in the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is essential for its assembly and activity. In preclinical models, Halia demonstrated that inhibiting NEK7’s binding ability to NLRP3 disrupts inflammasome signaling and reduces the inflammatory response. HT-6184 prevents the formation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and promotes its disassembly once activated. (Halia unpublished data) About Halia Therapeutics, Inc. Halia Therapeutics is pioneering a pipeline of novel therapeutics to enhance the lives of patients with chronic inflammatory disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The company’s initial programs target NEK7 and LRRK2. Halia’s lead candidate, HT-6184—a novel NEK7/NLRP3 inhibitor—has successfully completed a Phase I study ( NCT05447546 ) assessing its safety and tolerability when administered as single or multiple oral doses at escalating levels in healthy volunteers. Furthermore, Halia has launched two Phase II trials: one evaluating HT-6184’s efficacy in treating lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) and another examining its impact on post-procedure diagnostic biomarkers of inflammation and pain ( NCT06241742 ). Recently, Halia initiated a Phase I trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of its LRRK2 inhibitor, HT-4253, in healthy volunteers ( NCT06537817 ). Headquartered in Lehi, Utah, Halia Therapeutics invites you to learn more at www.haliatx.com . Connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter (X) for the latest updates. SOURCE: Halia Therapeutics