Toward fewer deaths, transplants, and dialysis treatments for patients with rare kidney diseases
DETERA Therapeutics is developing the first-ever treatment for kidney damage caused by certain rare diseases. The startup’s solution, protected by two patents, was developed over a decade of research by the CEA and Inserm.
Photo of Glomerulus affected by the development of a crescent which appears in the form of darker cells at the periphery. ©Detera
Crescentic glomerulonephritis, a complication of autoimmune diseases that affects 20 out of every million people, will be the first commercial target of DETERA Therapeutics’ future treatment. DTR8, which will be administered alongside the traditional immunosuppressants given to reduce inflammation, is intended to prevent the disease’s rapid kidney failure—which currently results in dialysis for the rest of the patient’s life, a transplant, or death.
DTR8’s active ingredient is derived from a naturally-occurring protein that inhibits a growth factor, which, in patients with the disease, is abnormally expressed in the kidney. Encouraging results, published and presented at international conferences, have been obtained both in vitro and on animal models. The startup, which is also developing a companion test, plans to license the product to industrials before the Phase 3 clinical trials and is aiming for a market release date from 2034.
One of the three founders is a CEA employee who benefits from the CEA’s Magellan startup incubation after following the SATT Paris Saclay maturation program. A R&D contract with the CEA is also planned. The goal is to develop DTR8 and other disruptive treatments for several other rare kidney diseases.
Key figure: +30%
DETERA Therapeutics’ objective is for its DTR8 treatment to improve renal filtration capacity by 30% six months after a crescentic glomerulonephritis diagnosis.
Targeted Markets:
- Crescentic glomerulonephritis
- Other rare kidney diseases in adults and children
Technologies used:
- Active ingredient derived from the diphtheria toxin
- Improvement of solubility and target affinity, and reduction of immunogenicity and antigenicity
Year founded: 2024
CEA Institute: CEA-Joliot