Guard Therapeutics (publ) today announced its participation as a partner in a newly funded European research consortium under the 2025 Joint Transnational Call from the European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA), aimed at accelerating the development of therapies for rare kidney diseases.
The project, titled "A pre-clinical target validation and therapy studies pipeline for treating human Alport spectrum disease" (ALP-RARE), aims to accelerate the development of novel, disease-modifying therapies for Alport syndrome-a group of rare genetic kidney diseases with no approved treatments targeting the underlying cause.
"Being part of ALP-RARE underscores Guard's commitment to advancing innovative therapeutics based on alpha-1-microglobulin for rare kidney diseases," said Tobias Agervald, CEO of Guard Therapeutics. "By contributing our research and regulatory expertise, we aim to build a clear bridge between preclinical science and new future treatment opportunities for patients with Alport syndrome".
About the ALP-RARE Project
The ALP-RARE project seeks to identify and validate therapeutic approaches that address disease mechanisms and slow or prevent kidney decline. The total project has been awarded a grant of up to €2.1 million, of which Guard will receive approximately €100,000 based on the current budget.
Guard's Role in ALP-RARE
ALP-RARE brings together leading academic institutions, clinicians, patient organizations, and industry expertise across Europe:
- Biobank.cy Center of Excellence, University of Cyprus (Cyprus)
- Karolinska Institutet (Sweden)
- Guard Therapeutics International AB (Sweden)
- University of Munich (Germany)
- Erasmus Medical Center (Netherlands)
- Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS (Italy)
- University Medical Center Göttingen (Germany)
- Alport Selbsthilfegruppe e.V. (Germany)
- European Kidney Patients Federation (EKPF) (Spain)
Guard's participation in the ALP-RARE consortium does not change the company's ongoing evaluation process regarding strategic alternatives, including the identification of possible counterparties for a merger or a reverse takeover.
For further information, please contact:
Tobias Agervald, CEO
E-mail: info@guardtherapeutics.com
About Guard Therapeutics
Guard Therapeutics is a Swedish clinical-stage biotechnology company that identifies and develops new therapies for diseases with a large unmet medical need, focusing on different forms of kidney disease. The company's candidate drugs are based on the endogenous protein alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M). Guard Therapeutics is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm (ticker: GUARD).
Certified Adviser is Redeye AB, Certified Adviser - Redeye.
About GTX peptides
GTX peptides are novel therapeutic peptides derived from the endogenous protein alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M). They are designed to retain key protective properties of human A1M, including reductase and heme-binding activities, while enabling improved drug-like characteristics. Multiple GTX peptides have demonstrated favorable treatment effects in a range of preclinical models of kidney injury, including ischemia-reperfusion injury, cisplatin-induced kidney injury, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, diabetic kidney disease, and chronic kidney disease.
GTX peptides represent a second-generation A1M-based therapeutic strategy, designed to enable long-term treatment and subcutaneous administration. A lead candidate, GTX-86, has been selected for further preclinical development. GTX-86 is considered to have broad potential applications, including in chronic kidney disease.
