Queen Mary research behind potential new heart attack treatment shows promise in Phase 2 trial
Research originating at Queen Mary University of London’s William Harvey Research Institute (WHRI) has helped underpin a potential new treatment designed to protect the heart from inflammation-related damage following a severe heart attack.
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Man clutching chest with both hands, indicating cardiac discomfort symptoms.
Biotechnology company ResoTher Pharma has announced encouraging top-line results from a Phase 2a clinical study of RTP-026, an investigational treatment based on a scientific invention originating at WHRI.
The study involved 66 patients who had experienced ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a severe form of heart attack, and were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to restore blood flow to the heart.
RTP-026 is an Annexin A1 mimetic designed to engage the body’s natural processes for resolving excessive inflammation. Rather than broadly suppressing the immune system, the approach aims to limit inflammation-related tissue damage, promote repair and protect organ function.
Encouraging early findings
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a trial was primarily designed to assess the safety and tolerability of RTP-026, while also exploring preliminary signs of its potential effectiveness.
ResoTher Pharma reported that RTP-026 was safe and well tolerated, with no new safety signals identified. Researchers also observed encouraging preliminary signals across measures of heart injury and cardiac function in patients receiving the treatment.
Further clinical research will be needed to establish whether the treatment can improve outcomes for patients.
Professor Mauro Perretti, Professor of Immunopharmacology at Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute, said:
“It is rewarding to see how several years of research are moving towards translation, to hopefully deliver patient benefit. Clearly, from the outset this has been team effort, starting from Prof Jesmond Dalli (co-inventor on the patent) whom performed the first experiments with this family of peptides, as well as more recently Dr Jianmin Chen and Dr Tong Liu who worked with me on the preclinical characterisation of RTP-026 and the exploratory biomarker investigation that complements the clinical trial.”
From discovery to clinical development
The potential treatment builds on research at WHRI into Annexin A1 and the biological mechanisms that regulate the resolution of inflammation. ResoTher Pharma’s development programme centres on a scientific invention from WHRI, to which the company owns the rights.
Inflammation is an important part of the body’s response to a heart attack, and it is important to remove the portion of tissue which is dead; however excessive inflammation can contribute to further damage to heart tissue even after blood flow has successfully been restored. RTP-026 is being investigated as a way of promoting the resolution of that inflammation and potentially protecting subsequent heart function.
Following the Phase 2a results, ResoTher Pharma is preparing an international Phase 2b proof-of-concept study of RTP-026. Further details of the programme are expected later in 2026.