Triage Pharmaceuticals LLC ("Triage") was chartered in the summer of 1999 to exploit new treatments for vascular leakage related illnesses using NADPH oxidase inhibitors patented by Dr. James Holland, a Triage co-founder. The invention is protected by two issued U.S. patents, granted European and Japanese patents, and a pending Canadian patent application. These cases claim a method of prevention and treatment of diseases related to endothelial hyper-permeability and vascular leakage by therapeutic administration of an NADPH oxidase inhibitor. The scientific rationale for the involvement of NADPH oxidase in mechanisms leading to vascular leakage has been well-documented by Triage in its work on the inhibitory effect of apocynin, a naturally occurring plant extract. In order to further this work, Triage is seeking funding to perform accelerated pharmaceutical development and preclinical testing for drug candidates in a vascular leakage disease indication that has a clear, simple, non-costly end-point and treatment duration that should allow determination of clinical efficacy in very short trial periods. Using its current library of potent NADPH oxidase inhibitors, "proof of concept" will be established in the vascular leakage of acute pancreatitis using an established rat model of the disease. While the studies are feasible, and new and useful information will no doubt be forthcoming, there is little evidence that new platform technology will be developed as a result of this research. During discussion it was stated that it was a fairly artificial pancreatitis model. It was also pointed out and emphasized that there was a wide gap between the rat model and the humans. It was finally not considered to be a new platform technology
