British study shows Clinuvel drug effective on DNA of UV-damaged skin

Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:CUV) has announced positive final results from a British-conducted study which sought to assess the capacity for its photoprotective drug afamelanotide to repair the DNA of patients exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

The study was undertaken at Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester – known for its expertise in analysing the effects of UV-skin damage – and involved the analysis of biopsies taken from seven patients with fair skin before and after their treatment with afamelanotide.

Without use of the drug, UV-radiation led to 625 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in comparison to non-irradiated skin, as indicated by RNA sequencing.

However, with patients treated with afamelanotide – and assessed six days later – the DEGs between irradiated versus non-irradiated skin reduced to 183, a factor 3.4 less DEGs.

The genes in question play an essential role in regulating DNA repair and inflammatory reactions following solar and UV exposure.

The test results were presented by Clinuvel at the British Association of Dermatologists
Meeting, also in Manchester, following a previous report at the British Association of Dermatology Meeting on Thursday July 4.

Chief Scientific Officer Dr Dennis Wright said the study indicated the efficacy of afamelanotide in aiding skin repair.

“The results from RNA sequencing complement the earlier results we saw from immunohistochemistry, in that afamelanotide consistently seems to assist repair of UV-damaged DNA in the skin,” he said.

“The significance of these results evaluating the use of afamelanotide in reducing oxidative and inflammatory damage caused by UV is high for those at high risk of solar damage, sunburn and skin cancers, hence we will repeat and confirm these results in a final study.”

At 10:56 AEDT, Clinuvel was trading at $16.67, a rise of 9.89 percent since the market opened.