The American thirteen-lined ground squirrel is known, through decades of research, to be able to protect their organs, including their heart, from damage during hibernation. Within these long periods of low metabolism, they are able to avoid tissue damage and scarring – the same processes that lead up to heart failure.
By studying their protective traits and mapping them onto human genetic data through an AI-driven platform, Fauna Bio was able to identify the pathways that might counteract human heart failure. They were able to do so due to their collaboration with Zoonomia Consortium and the analysis of data from the genes of over 240 mammalian species. This approach belongs to an emerging field called comparative genomics where the evolutionary adaptations of other animals that naturally reverse or resist disease are evaluated and then translated into human therapies.
Humans don't naturally cure themselves from diseases very often, but there are mammals around the world that regularly do
As CEO Dr Ashley Zehnder says, “Humans don't naturally cure themselves from diseases very often, but there are mammals around the world that regularly do… Why are we not taking advantage of the full spectrum of nature's experiments?”
The new drug is a small molecule drug that aims to treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The disease, which currently affects millions of people worldwide, has few effective treatments, with most only giving symptomatic relief.
Faun1083 has shown promising results in preclinical trials
Faun1083 has shown promising results in the preclinical trials with animal safety studies starting soon and plans for human trials next year. If successful, it could be a much-awaited relief for patients of HFpEF – a reminder that sometimes even the smallest of creatures can spark some of the biggest breakthroughs in medicine.