Elevai Biosciences engages KCRN Research to support IND efforts for EL-22

Elevai Biosciences has engaged KCRN Research to support the Company’s initial efforts to prepare for an Investigational New Drug application to the FDA for EL-22 in the treatment of obesity and muscle loss preservation. KCRN specializes in bridging the regulatory gap for Korean-originated assets like EL-22 and preparing early phase drug development projects for the FDA. The Company and CRO partner KCRN are gathering the development work required for the IND submission, including preparing and scheduling a pre-IND meeting with the FDA to determine the path forward for EL-22. The Company intends to complete an IND submission in 2025 and to initiate clinical trials in the U.S. to evaluate the myostatin approach in combination with one or more GLP-1 receptor agonists in obesity. EL-22, an engineered probiotic expressing myostatin on its surface, targets a clinically validated myostatin pathway that plays an important role in regulating muscle. Preclinical results of EL-22 from a 2022 study demonstrated physiological, physical and functional improvements in the dystrophic features of mdx mice, a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The Company believes that EL-22 offers a differentiated, oral approach as compared to other injection myostatin strategies being tested in obesity. It is believed that the mechanism of EL-22 induces mucosal immunity through the body’s own anti-myostatin antibodies and has the potential to treat obesity in combination with popular weight loss therapeutics, including GLP-1 receptor agonists, by preserving muscle mass while decreasing fat mass.