Description:
The Current State of The Art
Sepsis is the world’s third leading cause of death and the leading cause of death for infants and children. Sepsis management is one of the most expensive in-patient hospital care. The current treatments include antibiotics and IV fluid to reduce inflammation and control blood pressure.
The Problem of the Current Art
The antimicrobial resistance has limited the effectiveness of antibiotics in protecting the body from a bacterial attack in sepsis. There is clearly a clinical need for more effective treatments that can prevent the organ and tissue damage and improve survival.
Advantages of Our Invention
Scientists at Augusta University have invented a synthetic deformylase enzyme to improve survival in patients with sepsis. Deformylase degrades circulating formyl peptide which is released from mitochondria to circulation in patients with sepsis or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The synthetic deformylase can be a fused protein with a carrier protein or PEGylated polypeptide, which increases circulation half-life and stability of natural deformylase.
In in vitro studies, deformylase prevented vascular leakage and restored endothelial cell function. In in vivo studies, deformylases improved 48-hour survival rate in a mouse model with peritoneal sepsis.
AURI # 2018-029
IP status: US provisional 62/790,185