Wilson Therapeutics: Clearing copper

Wilson Therapeutics AB is repurposing a metal-binding cancer compound into a therapy for Wilson's disease, a rare hereditary condition that leads to accumulation of toxic levels of copper. The compound, Decuprate, may be a safer alternative to standard-of-care copper chelators for a subset of Wilson's disease patients with neurological symptoms.

Wilson's disease is caused by mutations in ATPase Cu++ transporting beta polypeptide (ATP7B), a copper transporter that helps dispose of dietary copper into bile. Patients are unable to excrete dietary copper and develop hepatic and neurological problems during adolescence...