Hoth Therapeutics has completed testing to examine the ability of HT-003, an inhibitor of retinoic acid metabolism designed to prolong the presence of retinoic acid in the skin, to block acne pathogenic gene expression in human keratinocytes.
The first stage of the HT-003 study was led by Jonathan Zippin, M.D., Ph.D., FAAD, associate professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and Hoth Senior Scientific Advisor.
Data from the first phase of the research reports that one of the most critical genes for acne pathophysiology, toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), is significantly inhibited by HT-003. In the next phase of the research, Dr. Zippin will identify the minimal effective dose required to block TLR2 signaling in response to a broad range of bacteria derived agonists to further elucidate the pathway.
"Thanks to Dr. Zippin and his team, we have gained insight and gathered significant data with regards to the significance of HT-003 in blocking acne pathogenic gene expression," stated Robb Knie, CEO of Hoth Therapeutics. "We will continue to monitor the data at lower doses and move onto the testing of rodent skin and carcinogenesis."
