The company is planning to present the results evaluating HE3286 at the 2nd International Congress on Immune-Mediated Diseases being held in Moscow, Russia. The company is also presenting preclinical data demonstrating that HE3286, along with other novel compounds under investigation - HE3413 and HE3177, appear to act by limiting the activation of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-kappaB.

In the data presented, HE3286 showed marked benefit in a SJL/J female mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalitis, a model widely used in industry and academia to test agents as potential treatments for multiple sclerosis.

In the study, mice were treated orally at disease onset with either HE3286 or placebo for approximately 20 days. HE3286-treated mice, at doses as low as 4mg/kg, had markedly reduced disease scores in comparison to placebo-treated animals. Benefit was maintained for over two weeks, even after treatment was discontinued.

Dr Halina Offner, professor of Neurology at Oregon Health Science Center, said: "We continue to be excited about researching these new steroid hormones because of their apparent ability to regulate critical inflammatory targets such as NF-kappaB and T-regulatory cells."

Richard Hollis, chairman and CEO, said: "We are pleased that HE3286 continues to perform well in preclinical models of diseases of inflammation. We intend to file an IND to support a Phase I/II clinical trial with HE3286 in diseases of inflammation this month. This IND would enable us to potentially test HE3286 not only in rheumatoid arthritis but in additional diseases of inflammation."

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