Azitra to present preclinical progress for its ATR-01 program

Azitra (AZTR) announced that Cofounder and COO, Travis Whitfill, will present positive preclinical progress for its ATR-01 program, targeting the treatment of ichthyosis vulgaris, a disease caused by missing or abnormal filaggrin levels. The detailed data will be presented virtually to the BIO-Europe conference, which is being held in Vienna, Austria, November 3-5. The ATR-01 program utilizes a strain of S. epidermidis called ATR01-616. The strain has been engineered to secrete a functional unit of the human filaggrin protein. In the data being presented at BIO-Europe, ATR01-616 was found to have a positive pharmacology profile across multiple preclinical models. In in vitro models, ATR01-616 secreted functional filaggrin, as measured by keratin binding assays. Furthermore, in ex vivo human skin, it was found to deliver filaggrin through the stratum corneum, as was measured with fluorescence immunohistochemistry. In this model, ATR01-616 delivered filaggrin below the skin barrier (p less than 0.05). Finally, in an ex vivo damaged pig skin model, ATR01-616 was shown to significantly reduce transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control. Together, these data demonstrate positive pharmacological activity and biodistribution. In addition to presenting the preclinical progress of ATR-01, Whitfill will also provide updates on Azitra’s two clinical programs, ATR-12 and ATR-04.