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Company is advancing mitochondriotropic therapeutic pipeline for rare neuromuscular disorders and neurodegenerative diseasesOXFORD, United Kingdom, March 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MitoRx Therapeutics (MitoRx), a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics that reverse mitochondrial dysfunction to arrest the progression of degenerative diseases, announces the appointment of four distinguished international experts to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB): Caroline Le Guiner PhD, Milos Filipovic PhD, Professor Phil Hansbro PhD, and Professor Annemieke Aartsma-Rus. Dr. Jon Rees, Chief Executive Officer of MitoRx, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Le Guiner, Dr. Filipovic, Professor Hansbro, and Professor Aartsma-Rus, to our Scientific Advisory Board. These accomplished scientists bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in gene therapy, chemical biology, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and respiratory research, bolstering our efforts in developing transformative treatments for degenerative diseases with the world's only mitochondrial platform restoring sulfide-signaling." Dr. Caroline Le Guiner is a renowned preclinical expert and team leader at the TaRGeT lab (Translational Research for Gene Therapy, INSERM, Nantes Université and University Hospital of Nantes) in Nantes, France, who has over two decades of experience in translational research focused on gene therapy for rare muscular diseases, playing a pivotal role in coordinating international networks aimed at developing therapeutic solutions for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Dr. Milos Filipovic is a distinguished researcher with expertise in chemical biology who brings his wealth of experience in cysteine post-translational modifications and their implications in aging and aging-associated diseases. Having led research groups at prestigious institutions such as the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences in Dortmund, Dr. Filipovic's insights will be invaluable in advancing MitoRx's understanding of redox changes in cellular signaling. Professor Phil Hansbro is a globally recognized authority in respiratory research. As Director of the Centenary/UTS Centre for Inflammation, he has made significant contributions to the identification of novel treatments for chronic lung diseases. His extensive publication record and track record in securing research funding underscore his expertise in this field. He led the presentation of research at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society which showed MitoRx’s compounds provided an anti-fibrotic effect and preserved lung function in a COPD model. Professor Annemieke Aartsma-Rus is professor of translational genetics at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). She has a visiting professorship at the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Center at the UK’s Newcastle University. In 2016 & 2017 she was elected as the most influential scientist in the field of Duchenne muscular dystrophy based on publications of the past decade. In 2014 she was accepted in the Jonge Akademie (Dutch Royal Academy of Sciences), consisting of the 50 most prominent scientists of under 45. The company’s first-in-class mitochondriotropic therapeutic pipeline is aimed at restoring the function of sulfide-signaling, which targets mitochondria dysfunction linked to the progression of rare diseases such as the neuromuscular disorder DMD, the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington’s disease (HD), and has also been implicated in common neurodegenerative diseases. The Company’s promising preclinical results validate its platform in a mammalian model of severe neuromuscular disease, which is extendable to other degenerative diseases, and additional evidence has been generated in a mammalian respiratory disease model through its academic collaborators. A recent seed extension financing round was backed by a broad range of investors, and the company expects to see preclinical readouts in DMD and HD by the end of Q2 2024. Company Contact (MitoRx) Jon Rees, CEO Email: jon.rees@mitorxtherapeutics.com Phone: +44(0)7826 556622 Media Contact (Scius Communications) Katja Stout, Managing Partner Email: katja@sciuscommunications.com Phone: +44(0)7789 435990 About MitoRx Therapeutics At MitoRx our mission is to become the leading global developer of medicines arresting the progression of degenerative diseases driven by mitochondrial dysfunction. We are a preclinical stage biotechnology company developing our first-in-class first-in-target, orally delivered, mitochondriotropic therapeutics targeting rare neuromuscular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Located in Harwell, Oxford, we have raised £4m seed financing from investors including the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Wren Capital, Longevitytech.fund, the Fink Family Office, the Science Angel Syndicate Network, Oxford Technology Management, as well as angel investors. For more information visit our website at www.mitorxtherapeutics.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

OXFORD, United Kingdom, Dec. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MitoRx Therapeutics (MitoRx), a biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics that reverse mitochondrial dysfunction to arrest the progression of degenerative diseases, announces the final close of its seed extension financing round, with £4m raised to date from existing investors. The company’s first-in-class therapeutic pipeline targets mitochondria dysfunction linked to the progression of rare diseases such as the neuromuscular disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington’s disease (HD), and also implicated in common neurodegenerative diseases. The Company has promising preclinical results, which validate its platform in a mammalian model of severe neuromuscular disease. The platform is extendable to other degenerative diseases, and additional evidence has been generated in a mammalian respiratory disease model through its academic collaborators. Dr. Jon Rees, Chief Executive Officer of MitoRx, said, “Degenerative diseases place great burdens on patients and healthcare systems. We are the first biotech to reverse the impairment in sulfide-signaling driving mitochondrial dysfunction, which underlies the pathophysiology of degenerative disease in muscular dystrophy as well as the dementias. Our approach has the potential to finally address the huge unmet clinical need in these diseases. This seed extension financing round enables us to advance a lead asset toward the clinic and provides a firm foundation to secure a Series A to take us to the clinic within two years. We are also seeking partners to develop our assets which demonstrate anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory properties in COPD and other respiratory diseases.” Oliver Sexton, Investment Director at the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, said, “MitoRx’s approach to mitochondrial dysfunction will potentially develop a treatment for degenerative diseases that have a hugely harmful impact. Such diseases affect both young and elderly patients who desperately need more treatment options. UKI2S is delighted to continue supporting MitoRx’s development.” MitoRx’s Chief Development Officer, Dr Christine Charman, said, “Interim results in our Duchenne program demonstrate that our muscle-penetrative lead asset preserves strength in oxidative muscle, and confirms mitochondrial modulation. These results will be presented at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinical and Scientific Conference in Orlando during March 2024.” MitoRx’s academic founder, and Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Matt Whiteman of the University of Exeter and collaborators, led by Prof Phil Hansbro at Australia’s Centenary/UTS Centre for Inflammation, published an abstract at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society, on research which demonstrated anti-fibrotic activity and confirmed the preservation of lung function in a model of COPD (1). Prof Whiteman and collaborators have previously demonstrated neuroprotection in a mammalian model of Alzheimer’s disease, through the restoration of sulfide-signalling (2). This seed extension financing round was backed by a broad range of investors including the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Wren Capital, Longevitytech.fund, The Fink Family Office, the Science Angel Syndicate Network, Oxford Technology Management, as well as angel investors. It will be used to fund pre-clinical work in HD, the activation of the company’s first neurodegenerative disease program, and to explore research collaborations and partnerships. The company expects to see preclinical readouts in DMD, HD, and COPD, by the end of Q2 2024. References (1) Sept 2022 - 10th Annual Meeting of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society (Abstract LB-34, pg 249). https://hawaii.cytokinesociety.org/book-of-abstracts/ (2) January 2021 - Hydrogen sulfide is neuroprotective in Alzheimer’s disease by sulfhydrating GSK3β and inhibiting Tau hyperphosphorylation. Giovinazzo et al. PNAS. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2017225118 Media Contact (Scius Communications) Katja Stout, Email: katja@sciuscommunications.com Phone: +44(0)7789 435990 Company Contact (MitoRx) Jon Rees, CEO Email: jon.rees@mitorxtherapeutics.com Phone: +44(0)7826 556622 About MitoRx Therapeutics At MitoRx our mission is to become the leading global developer of medicines arresting the progression of degenerative diseases driven by mitochondrial dysfunction. We are a preclinical stage biotechnology company developing our first-in-class first-in-target, orally delivered, mitochondrial protective therapeutics targeting rare neuromuscular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Located in Harwell, Oxford, we have raised £4m seed financing from investors including the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Wren Capital, Longevitytech.fund, the Fink Family Office, the Science Angel Syndicate Network, Oxford Technology Management, as well as angel investors. For more information visit our website at www.mitorxtherapeutics.com and follow us on LinkedIn. About UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) UKI2S is a national seed investment fund that nurtures innovative businesses from great UK science to leverage private investment and grow jobs. The Fund is backed by UKRI, Dstl and other public bodies and is independently managed by specialist venture capital firm Midven, part of Future Planet Capital, the impact-led, global venture capital firm built to invest in high-growth potential companies from the world’s top research centres. UKI2S provides the patient, long-term committed capital, and strategic advice these companies need to flourish. Over the past decade and more, the fund has built a substantial track record of companies that between them have attracted over £600m of later stage investment. Learn more at https://ukinnovationscienceseedfund.co.uk/.