Health Kick Podcast: Neurizon Therapeutics
In this episode, Tim speaks with Neurizon Therapeutics (ASX:NUZ) managing director Dr Michael Thurn about the company's research on motor neurone disease and its drug development of NUZ-001 to treat ALS.
NUZ-001 is developed from monepantel, a drug which originated in veterinary practise as a drench for the treatment and control of gastrointestinal roundworms in sheep.
ALS is a devastating neurodegenerative condition that primarily affects nerve cells that control voluntary muscles.
Neurizon has now developed a liquid formulation of NUZ-001 to improve patient access and experience.
Tune into the podcast to hear more.
This podcast was developed in collaboration with Neurizon Therapeutics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
The interviews and discussions in this podcast are opinions only and not financial or investment advice. Listeners should obtain independent advice based on their own circumstances before making any financial decisions.
Originally published as Health Kick Podcast: Neurizon's ALS push and trial plans
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News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Health Check: On Lamington Day, biotechs serve up their chocolate-dipped quarterly morsels
Today's news is all sweet on trial progress, revenue and cash Amplia to raise capital after runaway share performance Tryptamine starts binge eating 'magic mushie' trial Today is National Lamington Day and biotechs are serving up a solid sponge-like base of news encased in chocolate and coconut – occasionally interspersed with a jam layer. Hold the cream and pink jelly though – it just doesn't work. Like so many drug discoveries, the lamington had serendipitous origins. The story goes that one of Queensland governor Lord Lamington's maids was serving up a yellow sponge, but accidentally dunked it into molten chocolate. Lord Lammo recommended the squares to be rolled into coconut shavings for ease of eating – and the rest is history. As is this non-sequitur. Now onto the biotech news. Lumos glows after last week's mega deal Point-of-care diagnostics house Lumos Diagnostics (ASX:LDX) reports revenue of $12.4 million for the year to June 30, up 12%. June quarter revenue declined 26% to $2.6 million, owing to the end of the US flu season. Lumos reported cash outflows of US$1.7 million for the quarter, taking June 30 cash to US$2 million. Investor interest has focused on last week's mega US distribution deal with Phase Scientific, which could deliver Lumos up to US$317 million ( $487 million) over six years. This pertains to the company's bacterial-versus-viral rapid lateral flow test, Febridx. Lumos has also signed a term sheet for a $5 million loan facility, proffered by shareholders Tenmile Ventures (Andrew Forrest) and Ryder Capital. At its discretion, Lumos can draw down the facility over the next 12 months. Cleo eyes FDA approval for ovarian cancer assay Still on diagnostics, Cleo Diagnostics (ASX:COV) says it aims to submit a US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) marketing approval application for its ovarian cancer assay next year. The company is on track to complete a supportive US trial in the December quarter. Thanks to government grants and tax incentives, Cleo reported cash inflows of $38,000, taking end of quarter cash to $6.46 million. Turning to drug development, genetic disease specialist PYC Therapeutics (ASX:PYC) reports cash outflows of $17.6 million. At quarter's end the company still had cash of $153 million. The company has dosed the first patient in a combined phase 1a/2b trial for polycystic kidney disease. PYC has achieved 'alignment' with the FDA on the structure of a registrational trial for its lead program, the blinding eye disease retinitis pigmentosa type 11. The company believes the regulator will require only a phase II trial. Tryptamine BEDS down eating disorder trial Psychedelic medicines house Tryptamine Therapeutics (ASX:TYP) has started recruiting patients for a world-first binge eating disorder (BED) study. In the open-label trial, 12 patients will be administered intravenously infused psilocybin, combined with psychotherapy. Melbourne's Swinburne University is undertaking the study, with first dosing this quarter and top line results due by the end of the year. BED is the most common eating disorder in the US and second most prevalent in Australia here. The condition can result in depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and compulsive behaviour. Amplia passes the hat Meanwhile Amplia (ASX:ATX) shares this morning entered trading halt, ahead of a share placement and share purchase plan. Amplia thus continues the rich tradition of companies leveraging clinical trial results, in this case its stunning data for hard-to-treat pancreatic disease. Amplia has reported 17 'partial response' rates in it Accent trial, in 17 out of 55 advanced disease patients. A confirmed partial response is tumour shrinkage of more than 30%, sustained for two or more months with no new cancerous lesions detected. Amplia is testing AMP-945 (narmafotinib). AMP-945 appears to inhibit the protein FAK, which is overexpressed in pancreatic cancers. Amplia shares have surged 376% in the past 12 months, but investors still value the company at a modest $110 million. As of the end of March, Amplia had cash of $10.8 million. 'Perplexed' Imugene laments soft-as-a-sponge share price Imugene (ASX:IMU) chairman Paul Hopper hopes the company's lamington-soft share price will 'do an Amplia' (our words) and reflect the company's progress with its multiple cancer trials. The company last Monday announced its phase 1b study for an aggressive blood cancer had resulted in two additional 'complete responses' (that is, the tumours disappeared). Imugene is trialing Azer-cel, its allogeneic Car-T drug made from healthy donor T-cells rather than the patient's. Naturally, Imugene announced a $22.5 million and share purchase plan for up to $15 million. On reinstatement, the shares lost 4.5 cents, or 10%, taking the loss over the past year to around 80%. This allows for a one for 34 share consolidation. 'We are very disappointed with the share price performance,' Hopper says. 'We are perplexed why we had such a lukewarm reception to the earlier data at the start of year.' Cashed up for pivotal trial But with the share raising in train, Imugene investors should no longer fear that such a dilutionary event is around the corner. Post raising Imugene should have cash of $64 million, with management costing a 60-80 patient pivotal trial at $30-40 million. If approved, Azer-cel would be the first commercial allogenic Car-T treatment, enabling mass produced, off-the-shelf therapies. 'We are in active discussions with partners on the strategy for developing the drug and getting it approved,' Hopper says. Shares settle in orbit after last week's Meso-blast off Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) shares have taken a breather after Friday's 35% surge on the back of initial US sales of its first US-approved stem cell product. The company reported unaudited June quarter revenue of US$13.2 million ($20.3 million) for Ryoncil, its treatment for childhood graft-versus-host disease. The FDA approved Ryoncil in December last year. Mesoblast founder and CEO Prof Silviu Itescu points to higher sales in the current quarter, given US Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services coverage became effective on July 1. The company has signed up more than 25 transplant centres and hopes to enlist all 45 priority centres by October. Bell Potter analyst John Hester says the sales were in line with the firm's expectations. 'The figure is inclusive of sales to the distributor, nevertheless it represents a reasonable proxy for hospital demand.' The firm values Mesoblast at $3.50 a share, implying 55% of upside.

News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Hot Money Monday: Proteomics brings science to racehorse recovery, as animal health booms
New blood test reveals hidden muscle damage in racehorses Proteomics' OxiDx helps trainers spot injuries early and avoid breakdowns ASX-listed stocks with exposure to the animal sector. In the high-octane world of thoroughbred racing, muscle is money. Every gallop, every second shaved off the clock comes down to conditioning, training, and recovery. But what happens when something breaks, and you don't even know it? That's the riddle Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX:PIQ) and its subsidiary OxiDx are solving with a groundbreaking new test that can detect muscle damage in racehorses. Last Monday, Proteomics announced a major update. Its patented OxiDx test has now proven – via peer-reviewed research – that it can track oxidative stress and pinpoint muscle injury in thoroughbred racehorses post-race. In short: trainers and vets now have hard data instead of relying on gut feel. Published in Veterinary Medicine and Science, the study tracked 34 Australian racehorses across seven days after racing. Using a dried blood spot from each horse, the OxiDx test measured thiol-oxidised albumin, a protein biomarker of oxidative stress. The findings were clear: oxidative stress levels peaked two days after a race and stayed elevated for up to five. Some horses took even longer to recover. That variability suggests that one horse might bounce back after 48 hours, while another might still be nursing invisible damage a week later. And if you're a trainer pushing too hard, too soon, that kind of hidden strain can lead to breakdowns. In fact, up to 85% of thoroughbreds suffer at least one injury during their early racing years, many of them muscle-related and many going undiagnosed until it's too late. OxiDx redefines racehorse recovery What makes this test so compelling is its simplicity. Forget MRI scans or expensive ultrasounds, and forget relying on subjective gait assessments or enzyme tests. This is a world-first blood test. Non-invasive, stable, and gives trainers and vets something they've never had before: objective insight into how a horse is actually recovering. 'These exciting results mark a significant milestone in applying the OxiDx test to equine veterinary medicine,' said Proteomics' CEO, Dr Richard Lipscombe. 'OxiDx has the potential to empower trainers to monitor muscle recovery with precision, helping their racehorses achieve peak performance while prioritising equine health and well-being.' This is all about protecting high-value assets. After all, elite racehorses are routinely valued in the millions, and breeding stallions commanding even higher figures. OxiDx seems to have a first-mover foothold in this lucrative corner of the market. If all goes to plan, PIQ said the OxiDx test could be hitting Aussie stables by this time next year, potentially becoming a go-to tool for trainers. Animals are serious business While most of the world has its eye on human medicine, the animal health sector has been galloping ahead, quietly becoming one of the hottest areas in biotech. If you dig into the numbers, animal diagnostics is a actually billion-dollar market that's been growing faster than many areas of human healthcare. The market is driven by rising pet ownership and humanisation, growing demand for livestock productivity, and in this case, the high economic value of performance animals. It's serious business, especially when the animals in question are worth more than most houses. Other animal-relates stocks on the ASX Apiam Animal Health (ASX:AHX) Apiam is Australia's biggest rural and regional vet group, with boots on the ground from dairy farms to dog parks in over 70 locations nationwide. It's got 330-plus vets and a serious logistics backbone - warehouses in four states, national lab networks, and even eCommerce for livestock producers. And now, Apiam is rolling out CoVet, an AI-powered clinical tool that's already making traction in its network. Using voice recognition and smart templates, CoVet takes care of the boring stuff like generating notes and discharging instructions so vets can spend less time typing and more time treating. In June, Apiam appointed seasoned executive Bruce Dixon as interim managing director, following the departure of founding CEO Dr Chris Richards. Mad Paws (ASX:MPA) Mad Paws is Australia's go-to marketplace for pet care, connecting pet owners with trusted sitters, walkers, groomers, and a growing range of pet products and services. Launched in 2014, the company was built to solve the age-old question: 'What do I do with my pet when I'm away?' With 73% of Aussie households already owning pets, and spending over $3,000 per year on dogs alone, the market is big, sticky, and recession-resistant. And with consumer trends like pet humanisation on the rise, Mad Paws could be positioned to ride the wave. Aroa Biosurgery (ASX:ARX) While not directly in the pet or animal business, Aroa's use of ovine tissue put it in a unique position at the intersection of animal-derived innovation and human health. The New Zealand-born medtech company uses something pretty special to help the human body heal - tissue from the forestomach of sheep. Led by vet-turned-founder Dr Brian Ward, Aroa discovered that ovine tissue, particularly the extracellular matrix (ECM), closely mirrors human soft tissue and is packed with over 150 proteins vital to healing. After carefully stripping the tissue of cells and DNA, what's left is a natural scaffold that guides the body to regenerate itself, helping tissue repair in complex wounds. 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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
As suitors circle Healthscope, its management mulls a different path
The sales process for Healthscope's failed private hospital business kicks off in earnest this Monday with up to 30 potential suitors due to file their tentative offers for its 37 Australian hospitals, employing 19,000 staff nationally. But the non-binding offers won't include a bid from Healthscope's current management, who are contemplating a scheme to convert the company into a not-for-profit entity. It would mirror the resurrection of Australia's largest child care provider Goodstart Early learning, from the ashes of the collapsed ABC Learning empire, as a not-for-profit provider. Healthscope insiders have confirmed reports in the Australian Financial Review last week that its chief executive, Tino La Spina, is working on the plan as an alternative to a sale of the business to either commercial interests or other Australian not-for-profit operators like St Vincent's Health Australia. Healthscope declined to comment. People with knowledge of the proposal, who are not authorised to discuss the matter, confirmed that the plans are not advanced enough to put in a non-binding indicative offer by the Monday, July 21 deadline. But La Spina's team have been consulting with the receivers from McGrathNicol who are managing the sale, with a view to putting in a proposal during the second stage of the sales process where interested parties are expected to lodge binding offers for the business. This includes local not-for-profit operators, ASX-listed Ramsay Health Care, privately owned Healthe Care and a potential debt-for-equity swap that could see lenders like UK-based Polus Capital take control. The receivers are acting for lenders which are owed $1.7 billion, according to documents lodged with the corporate regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Australia's Big Four banks are among the lenders which will be hit with significant losses as the sales price is not expected to get anywhere near what is owed to them. The debt includes $52 million owed to the former owner, Canadian financial giant, Brookfield, which had $2 billion in equity wiped out when the group collapsed into administration earlier this year.