ReAlta Life Sciences has received a $3.2 million grant award from The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), to accelerate the Company’s Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating RLS-0071 for the treatment of acute lung injury (ALI) due to COVID-19. The award, which is granted to Virginia companies to support the acceleration of clinical testing of therapeutic drugs that treat life threating symptoms caused by COVID-19, includes additional funding for the Company’s research partner, Old Dominion University of Norfolk, Virginia, to explore other clinical biomarkers relevant for RLS-0071 treatment of COVID-19 patients.
“COVID-19 remains a persistent and challenging global health emergency, despite the remarkable progress made by many countries with effective vaccination campaigns,” said Ulrich Thienel, M.D., Ph.D., ReAlta’s Chief Executive Officer. “For those patients that are infected, the medical community still has no effective therapy to treat ALI and the damage that results from the condition. We greatly appreciate the support from The Virginia Catalyst, as well as the leadership exhibited by the Commonwealth of Virginia to marshal the considerable resources of the life sciences community in Virginia to respond to the ongoing need for effective therapeutic options to treat COVID-19.”
The Company’s double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating RLS-0071 for the treatment of ALI due to COVID-19 pneumonia in early respiratory failure will be conducted at multiple participating clinical sites throughout North America and Europe. More information about the trial can be found at Clinicaltrials.gov under #NCT04574869.