Proteo, Inc./Proteo Biotech AG: Clinical Study in Harvard Reveals Elafin Deficiency in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (A...
February 17 2009 - 3:30AM
Business Wire
Proteo, Inc. (OTCBB: PTEO; WKN: 925981), and its wholly-owned
subsidiary Proteo Biotech AG announced today: In the context of
their work on the causes of acute respiratory distress syndrome
(ARDS), the research group of David Christiani at the Harvard
School of Public Health has established that in many ARDS patients
insufficient amounts of the protective protein Elafin are formed
during the initial phases of the disease. In their most recent
clinical study, funded by the National Institutes of Health
(National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute) involving 148 patients,
the American researchers showed that the level of Elafin at the
onset of acute respiratory failure is about 40% lower. Dr.
Christiani stated: �These results support our hypothesis that the
therapeutic administration of Elafin could serve as a specific
treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome.�
Acute respiratory distress is characterized by extensive and
diffuse injury of the lung, due to a reaction to various damaging
factors. It is a considerable problem in intensive care medicine
and the majority of patients have to be ventilated for long periods
of time. The incidence of ARDS is up to 28 cases per 100,000
inhabitants per year. Although the mortality rate has been reduced
by advances in treatment over recent decades, it is still around
40%.
About Elafin: Proteo's drug substance Elafin is an endogenous
protein produced by the human body and is a natural inhibitor of
the two tissue destroying enzymes, neutrophil elastase and
proteinase-3. Both of these enzymes are known to be involved in the
inflammatory response occurring in a variety of diseases. Elafin's
ability to block the activity of destructive enzymes that are
involved in inflammatory reactions makes it a highly promising
active compound for the treatment of inflammatory lung diseases or
severe reperfusion injuries. The excellent tolerability of
recombinant Elafin for injection in human subjects was demonstrated
in a Phase I clinical trial. A Phase II clinical trial on patients
undergoing esophagectomy for esophagus carcinoma has been started
in the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel in
November 2008 . The aim of the trial is to investigate the
effectiveness of Elafin at suppressing the postoperative
inflammatory processes. A further Phase II clinical trial has
already been approved: Minapharm Pharmaceuticals SAE, Cairo, will
initiate a Phase II clinical trial to study the efficacy of Elafin
on kidney transplant patients. The study will be conducted as a
Phase II trial for prevention of acute and chronic allograft
nephropathy at the University of Cairo.
About Proteo:
The company researches, develops and markets compounds for
biological and medical research as well as for use as
pharmaceuticals. The main focus is on anti-inflammatory drugs, in
particular on the human elastase inhibitor Elafin. Proteo intends
to out-license selected indications and to establish international
strategic alliances in order to open up new fields of application
and for marketing (www.proteo.de).
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