A hibernating North American squirrel species may hold the key to tackling one of the world’s most stubborn and deadly heart conditions.
California-based biotech firm Fauna Bio has developed a new drug derived from the genetic secrets of hibernating mammals.
The small molecule drug, known as Faun1083, targets heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a form of heart failure that affects millions of people worldwide and currently has few effective treatments.
Fauna’s approach draws inspiration from the natural world. “We try to look at where we have very strong evidence of biology of either disease resistance or reversal,” CEO Dr Ashley Zehnder told BBC Science Focus.
“There were decades of physiological research showing that ground squirrels could protect their hearts from damage during hibernation. And we know that heart failure is one of the biggest killers of people around the world.”
By studying how the (extremely adorable) American thirteen-lined ground squirrel protects their organs during hibernation, Fauna identified genes that help the animals prevent tissue damage and scarring – the very processes that drive heart failure in humans.
“Something that’s going up in a ground squirrel when its heart’s being protected from damage might be going down in humans with heart failure,” Zehnder said. “That helps us target the pathways that are going to be most important for human disease.”
Fauna's AI-driven discovery platform maps these protective traits from animal genomes onto human genetic data to pinpoint drug targets.
Zehnder said the resulting compound, Faun1083, “came directly out of studying ground squirrel heart biology.” The new drug has already shown promise in preclinical tests and is set to enter animal safety studies before human trials begin next year.
Fauna Bio’s work forms part of a growing field known as ‘comparative genomics,’ which looks to evolution for clues to improve human health.
The company has analysed genomic data from more than 240 mammalian species through its collaboration with the Zoonomia Consortium, uncovering adaptations that help animals resist disease and repair tissue damage.
“We really want to take an approach where we can then take advantage of evolutionary adaptations,” Zehnder said. “Humans don't naturally cure themselves from diseases very often, but there are mammals around the world that regularly do… Why are we not taking advantage of the full spectrum of nature's experiments?”
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