Phase 2 Study of MP4CO to Treat Vaso-occlusive Sickle Crisis

Summary

Sickle Cell disease is caused by an inherited hemoglobin disorder. Healthy red blood cells are discoid and can deform and move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In Sickle Cell disease, as red blood cells circulate and oxygen is released, the deoxygenated abnormal Hemoglobin S can begin to polymerize and cause red cells to become sticky and elongated. These "sickled" red cells are less flexible and will obstruct small blood vessels and prevent normal red cells from circulating freely, which limits oxygen delivery to tissues and organs. This is known as a "sickling crisis" or "vaso-occlusive crisis" and is the leading cause of hospitalization in patients with Sickle Cell disease. Patients suffering from a sickle crisis experience severe pain and are at risk of stroke, heart attack or even death. Current therapy is limited to hydration and symptomatic pain relief. The administration of MP4CO as an adjunct treatment to standard therapy may alleviate pain associated with a sickling crisis and potentially reduce the severity and duration of a crisis. This may shorten the time in hospital and potentially improve the quality of life for patients with sickle cell anemia.

Timeline

Start

2013-10

Primary completion

2015-06

Completion

2015-10

Outcome

Outcome not reported

Stopped: “Sangart ceased operations”

Publications

• Background Vandegriff KD, Young MA, Lohman J, Bellelli A, Samaja M, Malavalli A, Winslow RM. CO-MP4, a polyethylene glycol-conjugated haemoglobin derivative and carbon monoxide carrier that reduces myocardial infarct size in rats. Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Aug;154(8):1649-61. doi: 10.1038/bjp.2008.219. Epub 2008 Jun 9.
• Background Vandegriff KD, Bellelli A, Samaja M, Malavalli A, Brunori M, Winslow RM. Kinetics of NO and O2 binding to a maleimide poly(ethylene glycol)-conjugated human haemoglobin. Biochem J. 2004 Aug 15;382(Pt 1):183-9. doi: 10.1042/BJ20040156.
• Background Tsai AG, Vandegriff KD, Intaglietta M, Winslow RM. Targeted O2 delivery by low-P50 hemoglobin: a new basis for O2 therapeutics. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2003 Oct;285(4):H1411-9. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00307.2003. Epub 2003 Jun 12.
• Background Cole RH, Vandegriff KD. MP4, a vasodilatory PEGylated hemoglobin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2011;701:85-90. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7756-4_12.
• Background Vandegriff KD, Malavalli A, Mkrtchyan GM, Spann SN, Baker DA, Winslow RM. Sites of modification of hemospan, a poly(ethylene glycol)-modified human hemoglobin for use as an oxygen therapeutic. Bioconjug Chem. 2008 Nov 19;19(11):2163-70. doi: 10.1021/bc8002666.
• Background Svergun DI, Ekstrom F, Vandegriff KD, Malavalli A, Baker DA, Nilsson C, Winslow RM. Solution structure of poly(ethylene) glycol-conjugated hemoglobin revealed by small-angle X-ray scattering: implications for a new oxygen therapeutic. Biophys J. 2008 Jan 1;94(1):173-81. doi: 10.1529/biophysj.107.114314. Epub 2007 Sep 7.
• Background Tsai AG, Cabrales P, Manjula BN, Acharya SA, Winslow RM, Intaglietta M. Dissociation of local nitric oxide concentration and vasoconstriction in the presence of cell-free hemoglobin oxygen carriers. Blood. 2006 Nov 15;108(10):3603-10. doi: 10.1182/blood-2006-02-005272. Epub 2006 Jul 20.
• Background Vandegriff KD, McCarthy M, Rohlfs RJ, Winslow RM. Colloid osmotic properties of modified hemoglobins: chemically cross-linked versus polyethylene glycol surface-conjugated. Biophys Chem. 1997 Nov;69(1):23-30. doi: 10.1016/s0301-4622(97)00079-3.
• Background Ballas SK, Gupta K, Adams-Graves P. Sickle cell pain: a critical reappraisal. Blood. 2012 Nov 1;120(18):3647-56. doi: 10.1182/blood-2012-04-383430. Epub 2012 Aug 24.
• Background Belcher JD, Young M, Chen C, Nguyen J, Burhop K, Tran P, Vercellotti GM. MP4CO, a pegylated hemoglobin saturated with carbon monoxide, is a modulator of HO-1, inflammation, and vaso-occlusion in transgenic sickle mice. Blood. 2013 Oct 10;122(15):2757-64. doi: 10.1182/blood-2013-02-486282. Epub 2013 Aug 1.
• Background Belcher JD, Mahaseth H, Welch TE, Otterbein LE, Hebbel RP, Vercellotti GM. Heme oxygenase-1 is a modulator of inflammation and vaso-occlusion in transgenic sickle mice. J Clin Invest. 2006 Mar;116(3):808-16. doi: 10.1172/JCI26857. Epub 2006 Feb 16.
• Background Bilban M, Haschemi A, Wegiel B, Chin BY, Wagner O, Otterbein LE. Heme oxygenase and carbon monoxide initiate homeostatic signaling. J Mol Med (Berl). 2008 Mar;86(3):267-79. doi: 10.1007/s00109-007-0276-0. Epub 2007 Nov 22.
• Background Piantadosi CA, Withers CM, Bartz RR, MacGarvey NC, Fu P, Sweeney TE, Welty-Wolf KE, Suliman HB. Heme oxygenase-1 couples activation of mitochondrial biogenesis to anti-inflammatory cytokine expression. J Biol Chem. 2011 May 6;286(18):16374-85. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.207738. Epub 2011 Mar 18.
• Background Powars DR, Chan LS, Hiti A, Ramicone E, Johnson C. Outcome of sickle cell anemia: a 4-decade observational study of 1056 patients. Medicine (Baltimore). 2005 Nov;84(6):363-376. doi: 10.1097/01.md.0000189089.45003.52.

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Indications