Developing drugs to protect donor organs from injury when blood flow returns
Restoring blood flow after an organ has been deprived of oxygen can trigger further cell death and tissue damage. This injury can compromise organ function during transplantation and other acute conditions, adding complications even after the original interruption in circulation has been addressed.
FiriX Therapeutics is developing drugs that block ferroptosis, a form of cell death involved in injury when blood flow returns to tissue. Its preclinical lead aims to preserve organ function and reduce damage associated with transplantation and other acute conditions.
What stands out about FiriX Therapeutics
FXT-001 reduced fluid accumulation and preserved elasticity in five paired sets of declined human lungs during ex vivo perfusion.
Follow-on FXT-002 and FXT-003 improved metabolic stability and rescued 50–60% of mice in a severe iron-overload injury model.
Samples from 116 liver-transplant recipients linked early lipid oxidation to liver-injury markers in an observational analysis.
The University of Antwerp lists FiriX as a 2025 spin-off advancing ferroptosis inhibitors for therapeutic development.
FWO Strategic Basic Research funding supported the ferroptosis research that led to FiriX Therapeutics, a University of Antwerp spin-off.
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