Inthelia

Sepsis is defined as a dysregulated response to infection. It causes almost 50 million cases and 11 million deaths each year. Inthelia is aiming to create a paradigm shift in sepsis treatment and diagnosis with their newly discovered host targeted therapy and companion diagnostic, offering the potential for improved outcomes, reduced reliance on antimicrobials, and as a result lower impact on antimicrobial resistance. Having seen numerous attempts to tackle the escalating anti-microbial resistance global crisis, Inthelia believes that the solution is not more anti-microbials, but a complete paradigm shift towards a new type of drug therapy that works alongside existing treatments. 

Host-targeted therapy (HTT) for treating infections focuses on modulating host factors or pathways that pathogens exploit to cause disease, rather than targeting the pathogens directly. By targeting host molecules, pathways, or immune responses, HTT aims to enhance the host's ability to control or eliminate the infection, while potentially reducing the risk of resistance development by the pathogen. Inthelia Therapeutics’ lead drug candidate, Cilengitide is a potent inhibitor of αVβ3 integrin signalling, with an excellent PK and safety profile which has been shown to significantly reduce injury caused by inflammation in small and large animal models of infection. This novel, non-antibiotic approach represents a promising new treatment pathway for patients with sepsis.

Promoters

• Prof. Steve Kerrigan, Academic Founder

Current status

• Awarded a prestigious €1m J&J BlueKnight Quickfire Next Gen grant

Next steps

• Seed round: €3.8m, Q4 2025
• Commencing human lung perfusion studies
• CMC GMP production scale-up
• Phase II proof-of-concept study