SBIR-STTR Award

Ac5 Inhibitor for Heart Failure
Award last edited on: 3/30/15

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NIH : NHLBI
Total Award Amount
$1,809,644
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
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Principal Investigator
Patricio Abarzua

Company Information

Vasade Biosciences Inc (AKA: VATNER)

675 Us Highway One
North Brunswick, NJ 08902
   (732) 729-6215
   info@vasadebiosciences.com
   www.vasadebiosciences.com
Location: Multiple
Congr. District: 12
County: Middlesx

Phase I

Contract Number: 1R44HL112512-01
Start Date: 4/17/12    Completed: 3/31/13
Phase I year
2012
Phase I Amount
$188,659
Cardiovascular disease is a critical health issue in the US and Western countries. The leading cause of death is heart failure (HF). Almost 5.5 million patients are diagnosed with congestive HF in the U.S and the major cause of HF is myocardial ischemic disease. Therefore, improvement of therapy for post myocardial infarction (post-MI) HF is extremely important, and the development of a new class of medicine which prevents progression of HF would have a large market opportunity and represent a significant clinical advance. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a new drug for heart failure (HF) by inhibiting type 5 adenylyl cyclase (AC5). Recently our studies demonstrated that inhibition of AC5 would be a strategy for treating HF. Disruption of AC5 gene in mouse prolongs lifespan by attenuating aging-related HF, protects against HF induced by chronic pressure overload, by excessive sympathetic stimulation and by myocardial ischemia, suggesting that an AC5 inhibitor would be a new class of HF drug. The phase I study will provide definitive evidence that a novel AC5 inhibitor has beneficial effect on post-MI HF in a small animal model. In our preliminary screening for AC5 inhibitors, adenine 9-D-arabinofuranoside (AraAde, also known as Vidarabine or Vira-A(R)), which was used in the clinic for a different indication, showed protection against HF in mice, suggesting a possible clinical utility of AC5 inhibitors for treating HF. In the presen application we will validate the effect of a novel AC5 inhibitor, PMC-6, on post-MI HF by using a mouse HF model. In the Phase II, we will further investigate the effect of PMC-6 on post-MI HF in a large animal model. Additionally, we will develop second generation PMC-6-type drugs with improved potency, better specificity and minimal adverse effects. We will evaluate the pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism, and safety of the most promising second generation AC5 inhibitor to enter into clinical trials.

Public Health Relevance:
Almost 5.5 million patients are diagnosed with congestive HF in the U.S and the major cause of HF is myocardial ischemic disease; however, no effective therapy has been established to treat congestive HF. The current investigation is aiming at generating a new class of medicine preventing progression of HF, which should have a large market opportunity and significant clinical importance.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Almost 5.5 million patients are diagnosed with congestive HF in the U.S and the major cause of HF is myocardial ischemic disease; however, no effective therapy has been established to treat congestive HF. The current investigation is aiming at generating a new class of medicine preventing progression of HF, which should have a large market opportunity and significant clinical importance.

Project Terms:
Adenine; adenylyl cyclase type V; Adverse effects; age related; analog; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animal Model; Animals; Apoptosis; Apoptotic; Arasena-A; Area; Attenuated; base; Blood - brain barrier anatomy; Canis familiaris; Carboxylic Acids; Cardiac; Cardiac Myocytes; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cause of Death; Chronic; Cicatrix; Clinic; Clinical; Clinical Trials; comparative efficacy; Congestive Heart Failure; Country; Cyclopentane; Data; Data Analyses; Development; Diabetes Mellitus; Diagnosis; Disease; Drug Kinetics; drug metabolism; effective therapy; EFRAC; Exercise; Fibrosis; Figs - dietary; Funding; Future; Generations; Genes; Goals; Grant; Health; Heart failure; improved; In Vitro; inhibitor/antagonist; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Investigation; Investigational Drugs; Legal patent; Licensing; Longevity; Marketing; Medicine; Metabolic Diseases; Modeling; Mus; Myocardial; Myocardial dysfunction; Myocardial Infarction; Myocardial Ischemia; novel; novel therapeutics; Obesity; Outcome; Patients; Permeability; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Pharmacodynamics; Phase; phase 1 study; Phase Transition; Preparation; pressure; prevent; research study; Rodent; Safety; Screening procedure; Solubility; Specificity; Survival Rate; Testing; Therapeutic Uses; Time; Toxicology; Vidarabine

Phase II

Contract Number: 4R44HL112512-02
Start Date: 4/17/12    Completed: 3/31/15
Phase II year
2013
(last award dollars: 2014)
Phase II Amount
$1,620,985

Cardiovascular disease is a critical health issue in the US and Western countries. The leading cause of death is heart failure (HF). Almost 5.5 million patients are diagnosed with congestive HF in the U.S and the major cause of HF is myocardial ischemic disease. Therefore, improvement of therapy for post myocardial infarction (post-MI) HF is extremely important, and the development of a new class of medicine which prevents progression of HF would have a large market opportunity and represent a significant clinical advance. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a new drug for heart failure (HF) by inhibiting type 5 adenylyl cyclase (AC5). Recently our studies demonstrated that inhibition of AC5 would be a strategy for treating HF. Disruption of AC5 gene in mouse prolongs lifespan by attenuating aging-related HF, protects against HF induced by chronic pressure overload, by excessive sympathetic stimulation and by myocardial ischemia, suggesting that an AC5 inhibitor would be a new class of HF drug. The phase I study will provide definitive evidence that a novel AC5 inhibitor has beneficial effect on post-MI HF in a small animal model. In our preliminary screening for AC5 inhibitors, adenine 9-D-arabinofuranoside (AraAde, also known as Vidarabine or Vira-A(R)), which was used in the clinic for a different indication, showed protection against HF in mice, suggesting a possible clinical utility of AC5 inhibitors for treating HF. In the presen application we will validate the effect of a novel AC5 inhibitor, PMC-6, on post-MI HF by using a mouse HF model. In the Phase II, we will further investigate the effect of PMC-6 on post-MI HF in a large animal model. Additionally, we will develop second generation PMC-6-type drugs with improved potency, better specificity and minimal adverse effects. We will evaluate the pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism, and safety of the most promising second generation AC5 inhibitor to enter into clinical trials.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Almost 5.5 million patients are diagnosed with congestive HF in the U.S and the major cause of HF is myocardial ischemic disease; however, no effective therapy has been established to treat congestive HF. The current investigation is aiming at generating a new class of medicine preventing progression of HF, which should have a large market opportunity and significant clinical importance.

Project Terms:
Adenine; adenylyl cyclase type V; Adverse effects; age related; analog; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animal Model; Animals; Apoptosis; Apoptotic; Arasena-A; Area; Attenuated; base; Blood - brain barrier anatomy; Canis familiaris; Carboxylic Acids; Cardiac; Cardiac Myocytes; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cause of Death; Chronic; Cicatrix; Clinic; Clinical; Clinical Trials; comparative efficacy; Congestive Heart Failure; Country; Cyclopentane; Data; Data Analyses; Development; Diabetes Mellitus; Diagnosis; Disease; Drug Kinetics; drug metabolism; effective therapy; EFRAC; Exercise; Fibrosis; Figs - dietary; Funding; Future; Generations; Genes; Goals; Grant; Health; Heart failure; improved; In Vitro; inhibitor/antagonist; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Investigation; Investigational Drugs; Legal patent; Licensing; Longevity; Marketing; Medicine; Metabolic Diseases; Modeling; Mus; Myocardial; Myocardial dysfunction; Myocardial Infarction; Myocardial Ischemia; novel; novel therapeutics; Obesity; Outcome; Patients; Permeability; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Pharmacodynamics; Phase; phase 1 study; Phase Transition; Preparation; pressure; prevent; research study; Rodent; Safety; screening; Solubility; Specificity; Survival Rate; Testing; Therapeutic Uses; Time; Toxicology; Vidarabine