Xyzagen recently presented new preclinical data from its ezogabine prodrug program, XYG204, during an oral presentation at the 2026 Innovations in Countermeasures & Toxicology Research (ICTR) Conference. The presentation, “Ezogabine Prodrug Mitigates EEG Hallmarks of Soman-Induced Seizures,” was delivered by Eden Harder, Ph.D., and highlighted data demonstrating XYG204’s ability to mitigate key electrophysiological hallmarks associated with seizures in a severe status epilepticus model.
Epilepsy requires more than symptom management—it requires a deeper understanding of the underlying neurobiology and new therapeutic strategies. The data presented at ICTR showcased findings from a severe Status Epilepticus (SE) model. One of the key observations was XYG204’s ability to reduce electrophysiological signatures associated with seizure activity, providing additional evidence of biological activity in a challenging preclinical setting.
Approximately one-third of patients who experience SE are resistant to benzodiazepines such as midazolam and diazepam, the current first-line therapies. These refractory patients require alternative treatment approaches that do not lead to IV anesthetics. Previous approaches, including neuroactive steroids such as SAGE-547 and ganaxolone, have not demonstrated success in this patient population.
Importantly, the soman model presented at ICTR is considered one of the most severe preclinical models of refractory status epilepticus. The findings suggest that a single IM injection of a Kv7 positive allosteric modulator (PAM) may be capable of blocking refractory status epilepticus. XYG204 also has the potential to be developed as an IV and oral medication.
“Status epilepticus remains a significant unmet medical need, and these findings provide encouraging evidence that XYG204 is meaningfully mitigating seizure-related brain activity in a severe disease model,” said Eden Harder, Ph.D., Research Scientist at Xyzagen.
“Presenting these data at ICTR was an important opportunity to share the progress of the XYG204 program with the broader scientific community. We believe these findings further support the potential of XYG204 as a novel approach for addressing serious neurological conditions where treatment options remain limited,” said Christopher Crean, CEO and Founder of Xyzagen.
Xyzagen appreciates the opportunity to share these findings with the scientific community and contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding epilepsy, status epilepticus, and the development of novel neurological therapies.
About Xyzagen, Inc.
Xyzagen augments a client’s pharmacology and pharmacokinetics drug development team. As a leading pharmacokinetics consultancy and contract research organization with wet lab and rodent vivarium facilities, Xyzagen is able to push model informed drug development into its First-in-Rat® and First-in-Mouse® discovery platforms as well as support late stage clinical noncompartmental PK, PopPK and Quantitative Medicine. Our knowledge in pharmacology and pharmacokinetics allows the client to expand their core scientific team during the critical period of candidate selection up to the PreIND meeting and through clinical development and the preNDA meeting. Xyzagen’s a boutique organization which allows small clients to work directly and strategically with experts during their drug development programs.
Media Contact:
Christopher Crean
Founder & CEO
Xyzagen, Inc.
Phone: 919-726-2072
Email: [email protected]
