Liminal Biosciences's PBI-4050 Reduces Pulmonary Hypertension, Preclinical Data Show - Pulmonary Hypertension News

Liminal Biosciences's PBI-4050 Reduces Pulmonary Hypertension, Preclinical Data Show - Pulmonary Hypertension News


Liminal Biosciences's PBI-4050 Reduces Pulmonary Hypertension, Preclinical Data Show - Pulmonary Hypertension News

Posted: 27 Nov 2019 08:00 AM PST

New preclinical data supports the positive effects of Liminal Biosciences's lead candidate, PBI-4050, in reducing pulmonary hypertension and the abnormal enlargement of the heart's right ventricle muscle.

The company presented its latest data on two posters at the American Heart Association 2019 conference, held recently in Philadelphia.

The posters are titled "PBI-4050 Reduces Angio-proliferative Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Decreased Human Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation and Microvascular Endothelial Cell Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress," and "Transcriptomics of Lung Molecular Remodeling in Pulmonary Hypertension Due to Left Heart Disease: Benefits of Combined PBI-4050/Valsartan Therapy."

PBI-4050 is an oral therapy originally developed to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The therapy helps regulate both inflammation and scarring, or fibrosis, by reducing the level of pro-fibrotic cytokines — chemical signals that promote scarring.

Apart from IPF, previous data showed that PBI-4050 reduced pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricular hypertrophy, which is the abnormal enlargement of the heart right ventricle muscle, common among PH patients.

In the first study, researchers used a rat model that closely mimics severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in humans, called Sugen/chronic hypoxia. The team assessed the effects of PBI-4050 compared with that of sildenafil or a placebo. Sildenafil, marketed by Pfizer as Revatio, is an approved oral medication for PAH that widens the blood vessels of the lungs, lowering blood pressure.

The rats were treated with PBI-4050 (200 mg/kg/day), sildenafil (100 mg/kg/day), or placebo for 4 weeks.

The results showed that PBI-4050 effectively reduced PAH, right ventricular hypertrophy and dysfunction. It also decreased the scarring of blood vessels.

Sildenafil showed comparable effects, but was better at improving certain parameters of right ventricular (RV) function. These parameters include right ventricular systolic pressure, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) — a measure of the efficiency of the right ventricle to eject blood — and RV contractility. Contractility is the inherent strength and vigor of the heart's contraction.

Genetic analyses of the rats' lungs showed that PBI-4050 decreased the levels of the genes that promote fibrosis, including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). It also decreased the levels of the genes that promote inflammation, which include IL-6 and MCP-1. The analyses also showed that PBI-4050 markedly reduced a specific stress pathway, called ER stress, in endothelial cells, which are the  cells lining the blood vessels.

Overall, the results showed that PBI-4050 reduced the expression of profibrotic and proinflammatory markers.

This supports the therapy's development as a treatment for PAH, the researchers said.

In the second poster, the investigators used an animal model to study how PBI-4050 could modulate fibrosis in the lung after a heart attack (myocardial infarction) causing PH.

Two days after the heart attack, the team administered PBI-4050, valsartan — an angiotensin receptor blocker that lowers blood pressure — or a combination of the two. This treatment was continued for five weeks. The researchers then analyzed gene activity in the lung tissue after treatment.

The results suggested that the combination of PBI-4050 and valsartan improved right ventricular hypertrophy and function. The gene activity seen after treatment mirrored these biological effects.

"We showed that, after large MI [myocardial infarction] causing PH, PBI-4050 therapy provides added benefit to valsartan, by … improving RV function and hypertrophy," the researchers said.

"Although not a current focus of the Company's research program, this new preclinical data adds to our body of knowledge of our lead compound, PBI-4050," Kenneth Galbraith, CEO of Liminal BioSciences, said in a press release:

Patricia holds her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from University Nova de Lisboa, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European Agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Laboratory of Doctor David A. Fidock, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York.
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Patrícia holds her PhD in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, The Netherlands. She has studied Applied Biology at Universidade do Minho and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon, Portugal. Her work has been focused on molecular genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites.
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Patricia holds her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from University Nova de Lisboa, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European Agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Laboratory of Doctor David A. Fidock, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York.
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Pulmonary arterial hypertension targeted for new treatment by Sheffield scientists - EurekAlert

Posted: 15 Nov 2019 12:00 AM PST

  • Scientists at the University of Sheffield have identified an antibody that has the ability to stop and reverse the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension
  • Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare but fatal disease which is only currently cured by lung transplantation
  • These research findings will now be prioritised for the development of a new drug treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension

Scientists at the University of Sheffield, working in collaboration with drug and vaccine developer Kymab Ltd, Cambridge, have identified a novel antibody that has the potential to become a new treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Research published today in Nature Communications (Friday 15 November 2019) from the University's Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease shows that treatment with a specific antibody can reverse the process behind the development of PAH, and will now be considered for clinical development.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension or PAH is a rare but fatal disease with the only cure being lung transplantation. It results in high blood within the lungs due to the constriction and overgrowth of the cells within the arteries that supply blood to the lungs.

Over time this growth restricts blood flow through these vessels, putting strain on the heart and eventually causing heart failure.

The study found osteoprotegerin (OPG) - which has primarily been thought to just regulate bone density - drives the process behind the growth of the cells within the blood vessel walls affected in PAH.

A therapeutic human anti-OPG antibody was found to stop the progress of the disease in experimental lab rodent and cell models, and reverse the proliferation of cells which cause the arteries to thicken.

Allan Lawrie, Professor of Translational Cardiopulmonary Science at the University of Sheffield, said: "Current treatments for PAH ease the symptoms by relaxing and dilating the affected blood vessels which can help extend the life expectancy for those living with PAH, but they do not stop the underlying drivers of the disease.

"The great benefit of this research is the potential for this new drug to be used in conjunction with current treatments, to ease symptoms and further halt or reverse the progression of the disease."

PAH is a rare disease, affecting less than 1 in 2000 people and has 'orphan disease' designation, meaning that despite smaller numbers of patients affected there is a recognised need for effective treatments to be developed.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield are one of the largest specialist centres in the world for diagnosis, treatment and leading research into PAH, with this study being the first time that this particular mechanism of the disease has been targeted with a therapeutic human antibody.

"The support from the Medical Research Council in collaboration with Kymab Ltd - which generated the antibody - and the British Heart Foundation to fund this research through the recently formed Donald Heath Research Programme in Sheffield is a hugely significant recognition of the importance of research in this field of medicine which aims to improve the outcome for patients suffering from PAH," added Professor Lawrie.

###

The University of Sheffield

With almost 29,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the world's leading universities.

A member of the UK's prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.

Unified by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in.

Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2018 and for the last eight years has been ranked in the top five UK universities for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education.

Sheffield has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.

Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Bellerophon Announces Positive Initial Data from Acute Hemodynamic Dose Escalation Study of INOpulse® for Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Interstitial Lung Disease - BioSpace

Posted: 12 Nov 2019 06:23 AM PST

WARREN, N.J., Nov. 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Bellerophon Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLPH) ("Bellerophon" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company, today announced positive initial data from an acute, dose escalation, clinical study (PHPF-002) of INOpulse® for the treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension associated with Interstitial Lung Disease (PH-ILD). PHPF-002 is an ancillary study to the Company's ongoing double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, Phase 2/3 iNO-PF study of INOpulse for the treatment of PH-ILD, for which the Company expects to report top line results for Cohort 2 by the end of the year.

The results to date from PHPF-002 have demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in multiple pre-specified pulmonary hemodynamic parameters, starting with the lowest dose of 30 mcg/kg IBW/hr (iNO30). Dose escalation showed:

  • Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) improved by 29% (baseline PVR was 584 dynes × sec × cm-5)
  • Cardiac Output (CO) improved by 16% (baseline CO was 3.5 L/min)
  • Mean Pulmonary Arterial Pressure (mPAP) improved by 10% across doses (baseline mPAP was 34.3 mmHg)
  • Oxygen saturation remained stable across doses
  • iNO was well-tolerated with no safety concerns across doses

"PH-ILD results in severe functional impairment and significantly reduced life expectancy. These patients suffer from constriction of the pulmonary arteries that decreases cardiac output and causes right ventricular dysfunction," said Roger Alvarez, DO, MPH, Assistant Professor University of Miami School of Medicine, and Principal Investigator in the PHPF-002 study. "The hemodynamic improvements demonstrated by INOpulse's targeted vasodilation are compelling and provide the potential to meaningfully increase physical activity in PH-ILD patients who have limited ability to perform even the most basic daily tasks."

"We believe the acute hemodynamic benefit demonstrated in the PHPF-002 study is responsible for the chronic improvement in physical activity observed in Cohort 1 of our ongoing Phase 2/3 iNO-PF study," said Fabian Tenenbaum, Chief Executive Officer of Bellerophon. "These hemodynamic improvements confirm the therapeutic benefit of iNO30 and support the potential for further benefit on iNO45. We look forward to reporting top-line results from Cohort 2 of iNO-PF, which is evaluating iNO45 in 44 subjects, by the end of the year."

PHPF-002 is designed to assess the acute hemodynamic benefit of escalating iNO doses in PH-ILD. The first four PHPF-002 study subjects were each treated sequentially, beginning with a dose of iNO30, followed by dose escalation to iNO45 and iNO75. Pulmonary hemodynamics were measured via right heart catheterization and collected at baseline, as well as following each sequential iNO dose. The Company intends to enroll up to four additional PH-ILD subjects in this study.

About Bellerophon
Bellerophon Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on developing innovative therapies that address significant unmet medical needs in the treatment of cardiopulmonary diseases. The Company is currently developing multiple product candidates under its INOpulse® program, a proprietary pulsatile nitric oxide delivery system.  For more information, please visit www.bellerophon.com.

Forward-looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about Bellerophon's future expectations, plans and prospects, including statements about the clinical development of its product candidates, regulatory actions with respect to the Company's clinical trials and expectations regarding the sufficiency of the Company's cash balance to fund clinical trials, operating expenses and capital expenditures, and other statements containing the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "contemplate," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties inherent in the initiation of future clinical trials, availability and timing of data from ongoing and future clinical trials and the results of such trials, whether preliminary or interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of that trial or whether results of early clinical trials will be indicative of the results of later clinical trials, expectations for regulatory approvals, the FDA's substantial discretion in the approval process, availability of funding sufficient for our foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements included in this press release represent Bellerophon's views only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any subsequent date. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements included in this press release.

Contacts    
At Bellerophon: 
Fabian Tenenbaum, Chief Executive Officer 
(908) 574-4767
    At LifeSci Advisors:
Brian Ritchie
(212) 915-2578
britchie@lifesciadvisors.com
     

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