Rosacea is common – it impacts 16 million Americans alone – but there’s no cure for the skin reddening, pimples and bumps characteristic of the disorder.
Atlanta startup Accuitis Pharmaceuticals is developing a topical therapy for rosacea. The Emory University spinout is also studying the drug’s impact on a number of linked disorders – including psoriasis, dry eye and acne.
Accuitis has received funding and support from the Georgia Research Alliance Venture Lab. It just raised $495,000 of a potential $750,000 round, according to a regulatory filing.
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The drug works as a proteasome inhibitor. Its mechanism works against the 26S proteasome, which in turn inhibits a transcription factor called NFkB that causes inflammation. This particular transcription factor’s been linked to a number of skin and eye diseases like psoriasis, acne, dry eye and rosacea. In these linked conditions, inflammation, excess blood vessels and the enzymes that digest elastic fibers in the skin are mediated by NFkB. Its lead compound, ACU-D1, purportedly can shut down that path of action – reducing inflammation and ultimately the redness. The drug has already been formulated into a cosmetically acceptable (read: doesn’t look so bad on the face) topical lotion, the company says – but the work’s still preclinical.
Accuitis was launched in 2011, and received some buzz in 2012 – but it’s remained fairly stealth since. Let’s see if this small funding boost will help the startup gain the momentum it needs to address such a large, underserved market.
[Photo courtesy of Flickr user Meincaravan]
