The startup develops therapeutic drugs targeting dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hepatic inflammation through novel pharmacological mechanisms. These therapeutics aim to improve patient outcomes in inflammatory, metabolic, and liver diseases by addressing underlying metabolic dysfunctions.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Current treatments for metabolic, inflammatory, and fibrotic diseases often fail to adequately address the underlying metabolic dysfunctions, leading to suboptimal patient outcomes. Specifically, conditions like intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD), severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) lack effective and convenient therapeutic options. Existing therapies may also have limitations in improving glycemic control and reducing non-HDL-C levels.
Solution
NorthSea Therapeutics develops structurally engineered fatty acids (SEFAs) designed to maximize the therapeutic potential of targeting fatty acid receptors and signaling pathways. These SEFAs are designed to avoid systemic distribution and utilization as an energy source, ensuring they reach target organs like the liver and gut at effective concentrations. The company's pipeline includes Orziloben for IFALD, SEFA-1024 for sHTG, and Icosabutate for MASH, each designed with unique properties to address the specific challenges of these diseases. These therapies aim to improve patient outcomes by targeting key receptors regulating energy and bile acid metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients suffering from intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD), severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Features
- Orziloben (SEFA-6179): An oral, fully synthetic medium chain fatty acid analog in Phase 2a clinical trials for IFALD, designed for passive absorption and direct liver targeting via the portal vein.
- SEFA-1024: An oral, gut/liver targeted, semi-synthetic eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) derivative in development for sHTG, designed to improve the pharmacological effects of naturally occurring EPA.
- Icosabutate: An oral, liver-targeted, free fatty acid receptor (FFAR) 1 and 4 agonist in a registrational program for MASH, designed to target the liver via the portal vein and resist metabolism as an energy source.
- SEFAs are designed to avoid systemic distribution via chylomicron transport.
- SEFAs directly target organs where receptors are highly expressed, such as the liver and gut.
- Icosabutate has demonstrated improvements in fibrosis, liver inflammation, and glycemic control in Phase 2b studies.