- Keros Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:KROS) announced results from a preclinical study of RKER-012 in a mouse model of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart.
- The data were shared at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.
- RKER-012 prevented increased pulmonary arterial pressure and right ventricle hypertrophy in a rodent PAH model, and KER-012 did not alter red blood cell number in non-human primates.
- The vehicle-treated SUGEN/hypoxia (SH) rats exhibited increases in Fulton index, which measures enlargement of the right ventricle and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP) relative to normoxic controls.
- In a separate nonclinical study, six months of treatment with KER-012 did not increase red blood cells in healthy naïve non-human primates.
- Additionally, vehicle-treated SH rats exhibited increased lung inflammation/fibrosis and smooth muscle hypertrophy relative to normoxic controls, while treatment with RKER-012 reduced these pathologies relative to the vehicle.
- The vehicle-treated SH rats exhibited elevated expression of genes associated with the development of PAH-associated pathology in the lung and right ventricle, which was reduced with RKER-012 treatment.
- Price Action: KROS shares traded 16.90% lower at $38.35 on the last check Wednesday.
