Cereno Scientific announces final milestone payment to Emeriti Bio for CS014

Cereno Scientific (Nasdaq First North: CRNO B), a pioneering biotech developing innovative treatments for rare and common cardiovascular disease, today announced a final milestone payment to Emeriti Bio for the Phase I drug candidate CS014. This novel HDAC inhibitor with epigenetic effects, acquired from Emeriti in March 2019, is being developed for thrombosis prevention.

The CS014 program was acquired to complement Cereno’s cardiovascular portfolio and has since then been developed in a collaboration between Cereno Scientific, Emeriti Bio and University of Michigan. After successfully completing the preclinical phase, drug candidate CS014 recently reached a significant milestone by entering the clinical phase. A first-in-human Phase I trial began in June 2024. The agreement with Emeriti Bio signed in 2019 transferred all rights for CS014, and the related compound family, from Emeriti Bio to Cereno. This final milestone payment concludes all remuneration under the agreement.

The payment of the last milestone is triggered by the PCT patent application for CS014, WO2023/118846, recently having entered into national phase in more than 20 countries globally. As has been previously communicated, a patent in this patent family was granted in the UK in January 2024.

“We are very pleased with our significant progress with the development of CS014 and are happy to execute the final milestone payment for CS014 to Emeriti Bio, leaving no outstanding matters in our acquisition agreement. Our collaboration with Emeriti over the past five years has been very fruitful and we are excited to now have entered the clinical stage of development,” said Sten R. Sörensen, CEO, Cereno Scientific.

“At Emeriti Bio, we are very pleased with our collaboration with Cereno and are delighted to see that CS014 now has progressed into the clinic. We wish Cereno all the best in the continued development of CS014,“ said Jan Fryklund, CEO, Emeriti Bio.

About the novel HDACi CS014

The investigational drug candidate CS014 belongs to Cereno’s HDAC inhibitor program, capitalizing on the principle of epigenetic modulation.

The innovative drug candidate represents a novel approach to antithrombotic treatment without an increased risk of bleeding. CS014 is a new chemical entity with a multi-modal mechanism of action as an epigenetic modulator – regulating platelet activity, local fibrinolysis, and clot stability for the prevention of thrombosis without increasing the risk of bleeding, as documented in preclinical studies. Given the potential for the disease-modifying properties seen with HDAC inhibition, additional cardiovascular benefits of CS014 may be expected, including amelioration of inflammation, fibrosis, vascular remodeling and elevated blood pressure. HDAC inhibition as a therapy to avoid thrombosis could fundamentally change the thrombosis prevention landscape and meet a major unmet medical need.

For further information, please contact:

Henrik Westdahl, Director IR & Communications

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +46 70-817 59 96

 

Sten R. Sörensen, CEO

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +46 73-374 03 74

 

About Cereno Scientific AB

Cereno Scientific develops innovative treatments for rare and common cardiovascular disease. The lead drug candidate, CS1, is an HDAC (histone deacetylase) inhibitor that acts as an epigenetic modulator with pressure-reducing, reverse-remodeling, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and anti-thrombotic properties. A Phase II trial is ongoing to evaluate CS1’s safety, tolerability, and efficacy in patients with the rare disease pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). A collaboration agreement with global healthcare company Abbott allows Cereno to use their cutting-edge technology CardioMEMS HF System in the trial. Two initiatives performed during the ongoing Phase II trial have shown positive findings suggesting the potential clinical benefit of CS1 in PAH patients. These initial findings are, however, not a guarantee of the final trial results that are expected in Q3 2024. Since January 2024, we are delighted that the FDA´s Expanded Access Program will enable patients with PAH, a serious life-threatening disease condition, to gain access to CS1 where no comparable alternative therapy options are available. Cereno’s pipeline comprises two additional programs in development through research collaborations with the University of Michigan. Investigational drug CS014 is an HDAC inhibitor in Phase I development as a treatment for arterial and venous thrombosis prevention. The innovative drug candidate represents a groundbreaking approach to antithrombotic treatment. CS014 is a new chemical entity with a multi-fold mechanism of action as an epigenetic modulator – regulating platelet activity, fibrinolysis, and clot stability for the prevention of thrombosis without an increased risk of bleeding as documented in preclinical trials. On 28th of June, 2024, Cereno initiated a first-in-human Phase I trial of CS014. Preclinical candidate CS585 is an oral, highly potent and selective prostacyclin (IP) receptor agonist that has demonstrated the potential to significantly improve disease mechanisms relevant to cardiovascular disease. While CS585 has not yet been assigned a specific indication for clinical development, preclinical data indicates that it could potentially be used in indications like Pulmonary Hypertension and thrombosis prevention without increased risk of bleeding. CS585 was in-licensed from the University of Michigan in 2023. The Company is headquartered in GoCo Health Innovation City, in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has a US subsidiary; Cereno Scientific Inc. Based in Kendall Square, Boston, Massachusetts, US. Cereno is listed on the Nasdaq First North (CRNO B). The Certified Advisor is Carnegie Investment Bank AB, [email protected]. More information is on www.cerenoscientific.com.

 

About Emerity Bio
Emeriti Bio is a combined biotech and contract research organization (CRO) company that focuses on taking discoveries through patenting, preclinical and early clinical research in close collaboration with partners. The company was founded in 2015 by five former AstraZeneca researchers representing a wide knowledge of pharmaceutical research and development.