LONDON, ON – New research at Robarts Research Institute – presented at the 6th World Congress on Inflammation – has shown that VT-111, a drug derived from a virus, inhibits Human Endothelial, Monocyte and T-Cell Activation.
Led by Robarts Scientist Alexandra Lucas, this study reinforces the mechanism by which VT-111 acts to reduce innate immune responses. "This study was important for us because it is monocyte activation in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome that causes blood vessels to narrow and is the disease target for our upcoming Phase II clinical trial at Viron Therapeutics Inc." said Dr. Lucas, a Professor and a Scientist with the Vascular Biology Group at Robarts and Chief Clinical Officer at Viron.
Viron completed a Phase I clinical trial with VT-111 earlier this spring and will soon be ready to advance into a Phase II trial for the treatment of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). ACS refers to a constellation of symptoms that in the US affects 1.4 million patients every year. In many of these patients, blood flow to the heart tissue is reduced by the formation of plaques that are caused by the infiltration of immune cells like monocytes/macrophages into the blood vessel wall. In pre-clinical animal models, VT-111 has been shown to be remarkably effective at reducing plaque formation in cardiac inflammatory models.
"Viruses have all evolved ways to evade or fight back against the body's immune system and this viral protein could be very effective in shutting down a particularly damaging inflammatory response," explained Dr. Grant McFadden, Viron Chief Scientific Officer, Co-Director of the BioTherapeutics Research Group at Robarts, and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Western Ontario. Dr. McFadden also holds a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Virology and is considered one of the top researchers in the world studying the therapeutic potential of viral proteins.
Viron Therapeutics is a privately owned biotechnology company, founded in 1997 by Dr. McFadden and Dr. Lucas, that focuses on the discovery and development of novel protein therapeutics for the treatment of human disease. Viron is a spin-off from the Robarts Research Institute. "We are very excited about getting this trial underway," said Dr. Mark Poznansky, President and CEO of Viron. "There is a real need for a drug like this that will quickly and effectively deal with the problems caused by monocyte induced inflammation of the blood vessels. This drug will have a real impact on ACS patients' health and well being."
For more information, please contact Kevin Sullivan, Manager of Business Development at Viron Therapeutics Inc. (519)858-5120.
