Pharmaceutical innovator and client Ventoux Biosciences has achieved a breakthrough in pre-clinical trials for a new treatment of fibrosis, in particular Dupuytren’s contracture, which is said to affect about five percent of the U.S. population. The incurable condition results in one’s fingers curling toward the palm due to cords of fibrotic tissue building up in the hand. Ventoux announced it has repurposed a commercially available drug, renamed VEN-201, that successfully reduces skin fibrosis in mice.

This promising development comes as the company has launched a fundraising round intended to advance development of VEN-201 and accelerate development timelines in order to bring this potential treatment to patients with Dupuytren’s.

Procopio provides Ventoux intellectual property and corporate legal services led by Life Sciences Partner Frank “Xiaofan” Yang, PhD.

The company’s breakthrough led to a profile of the founder, Kurt Harrington, in Fierce Biotech. Harrington revealed he was diagnosed with Dupuytren’s in his 30s and has had multiple rounds of surgery and radiation. His father also has the condition and just underwent his eighth surgery. “It sounds corny,” Harrington told Fierce Biotech, “but I formed this company to literally try and make a difference.”

Learn more about Ventoux Biosciences and its breakthrough in the company’s press release and the Fierce Biotech interview.