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IP Group PLC on Tuesday announced that portfolio company Istesso has commenced dosing for the IST-03 trial of leramistat in sarcopenia caused by rheumatoid arthritis. The London-based investor in the science and technology sector holds an undiluted 56.5% stake in Istesso, which aims to develop ‘pioneering oral regenerative medicines’ for chronic diseases. Leramistat is the lead candidate from its mitochondrial complex 1 modulators, which ‘have demonstrated the ability to induce adaptive tissue repair and regeneration across multiple tissues’. IP Group said IST-03, a phase 2 double blind trial evaluating the effects of leramistat on muscle quality, repair and function, aims to ‘show that it is possible to augment the human capacity to repair.’ Enrolment is in progress at England’s Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals, in conjunction with the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It said the trial builds on previous data showing that leramistat improved disability and fatigue, and showed reduced muscle loss markers, in rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, preclinical testing on animals has shown ‘restoration of muscle quality in disease models and recovery of muscle mass, quality and function’. ‘This marks an important inflection point for Istesso as it moves into Phase 2 evaluation of a genuinely novel approach to regenerative medicine,’ IP Group Chief Executive Greg Smith commented. ‘The programme is supported by a consistent body of clinical and preclinical data, and we believe the potential to influence underlying tissue repair represents a differentiated and scalable opportunity. ‘Success here would be an important validation of the approach and open up multiple opportunities across large areas of unmet need.’ IP Group shares were down 1.5% at 65.50 pence on Tuesday in London. Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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