Out-licensing and Partnering Opportunities
rNAPc2
We are currently looking for partnership opportunities for rNAPc2, a factor VIIa/tissue factor inhibitor for the potential use as an anticoagulant in cardiovascular indications such as acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and as a treatment for patients with cancer.
Recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2 (rNAPc2) is a recombinant protein fashioned after one originally isolated from the saliva of the dog hookworm. The potential anticoagulant effect of rNAPc2 results from its ability to block the factor VIIa/tissue factor protease complex, which is responsible for the initiation of the process leading to blood clot formation. Unlike heparin, thrombin inhibitors, and other agents that exert their effects at later stages of the blood coagulation cascade, rNAPc2 shows the potential to block the first step in the clotting cascade. A Phase 2 trial known as ANTHEM (Anticoagulation with rNAPc2 To Help Eliminate MACE)/TIMI 32, which evaluated the safety and potential of rNAPc2 to replace heparin in patients being treated for ACS, was completed in June 2006. Data from this trial has been presented at multiple medical conferences and was published in the June 2007 issue of the Journal of American College of Cardiology.
In addition, the factor VIIa/tissue factor protease complex has been shown to play a role in the cellular signaling of both metastasis and angiogenesis in a variety of cancer animal models. Because rNAPc2 inhibits the interaction of factor VIIa with tissue factor, it has the potential to inhibit these processes, which are critical to the progression of a number of cancers.
A UNIQUE MECHANISM OF ACTION IN CANCER
