Keros Therapeutics presents preclinical data from KER-065 program

Keros Therapeutics announced results from preclinical studies evaluating the treatment effect of a research form of KER-065 (“RKER-065”) in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and in prednisolone-treated mice, which were presented at the 28th International Annual Congress of the World Muscle Society on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. RKER-065 treatment led to a robust increase in muscle mass, functional strength, and bone formation in a DMD mouse model: In DMD mice, treatment with RKER-065 led to significant increases in body weight and lean mass by four weeks compared to vehicle-treated DMD mice. Additionally, an increase in forelimb grip strength was observed, which is supportive of improved muscle function. DMD mice treated with RKER-065 demonstrated significant increases in muscle mass in the pectoralis and tibialis anterior as compared to vehicle-treated DMD mice. Overall, treatment with RKER-065 led to a robust increase in muscle mass, functional strength and bone formation in the DMD mouse model. These studies suggest that KER-065 has the potential to benefit DMD patients who suffer from severe muscle loss and impaired muscle function and are at higher risk of fractures. RKER-065 increased muscle mass, improved muscle function and prevented bone loss in prednisolone-treated mice: The Pred-vehicle mice exhibited reduced weight gain relative to vehicle – which is consistent with the use of glucocorticoid treatment – while weight gain was maintained in Pred-RKER-065-treated mice. The Pred-vehicle mice also exhibited reduced lean mass gain relative to vehicle, while Pred-RKER-065-treated mice had a robust increase in lean mass compared to Pred-vehicle mice. At day 32, both right femoral and whole-body BMD in the Pred-vehicle mice were lower than vehicle. No difference in BMD reduction was observed between the Pred-RKER-065 and vehicle cohorts, suggesting that RKER-065 treatment prevented prednisolone-associated BMD reduction. These data demonstrate that RKER-065 can increase muscle mass, improve muscle function, and prevent bone loss in prednisolone-treated mice.