Potentia/POT-4/AMD, VEGF/Rosacea, Luteins, BioDiem/BDM-E

Potentia gets FDA approval to test blindness drug

Potentia Pharmaceuticals has won FDA approval to begin a human clinical trial of what could become the first treatment for age-related macular degeneration, which causes vision loss. The Louisville company said a Phase I trial is expected to begin by the end of this month to determine the safety of its drug, called POT-4.

Several studies published in 2005 showed evidence that a process called complement activation, in which the immune system attacks viruses or bacteria in the body, has a role in causing macular degeneration. POT-4 inhibits that immune-system response. It is the first so-called complement inhibitor approved by the FDA for a human trial, Potentia said. The drug is derived from a compound discovered at the University of Pennsylvania. Potentia obtained rights to develop and market it last year.

Potentia said earlier this month that it had raised $5 million to test the drug. The company has 12 employees and is located downtown in the Louisville Life Science Research Park. The Phase I trial will be held at sites in Florida and Arizona, said Pascal Deschatelets((cq)), chief operating officer of Potentia. It could be followed by larger trials of the drug’s effectiveness, perhaps leading to market approval around 2011, he said. Potentia was formed in 2001 in the Boston area, where its scientists were trained at Harvard, then moved in 2003 to Louisville.

http://www.potentiapharma.com/products/pot4.htm



VEGF and its receptors are expressed in rosacea skin samples, study finds

Vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors are expressed in skin samples taken from patients with rosacea, a study by researchers in Oregon found.

Using immunostaining, Justine R. Smith, MD, and colleagues at Oregon Health and Science University found VEGF-R1 in 70% and VEGF-R2 in 100% of 20 samples of vascular endothelium. However, the researchers found VEGF itself in only 10% of samples, according to the study. In addition, infiltrating leucocytes, including lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells, all expressed VEGF-R1 and VEGF-R2, and 85% expressed VEGF, the authors noted. "Although not expressed by endothelium, VEGF is present in epidermis and epithelium, and is expressed by infiltrating cells," the authors said. "VEGF receptor-ligand binding may contribute to the vascular changes and cellular infiltration that occurs in rosacea."


Scientists explain luteins anti-inflammatory role

Scientists in the US have identified a mechanism that may explain how lutein acts against inflammation, research that deepens understanding of the nutrient's benefits. Lutein,, a nutrient found in various foods including green leafy vegetables and egg yolk, has a ten-year history in the dietary supplement market as a nutrient to reduce the risk of age related macular degeneration (ADM). With eye health as its main spot, the lutein market is currently estimated to be worth in the region of US$100m and $130m.

While a number of studies of studies have reported anti-inflammatory effects for the nutrient, the actual mechanism behind the apparent effects has not been elucidated. Chronic inflammation, brought about by an over-expression or lack of control of the normal protective mechanism, can lead to a range of inflammatory related disease, particularly cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in Europe. New research from Mohamed Rafi and Yassaman Shafaie from the State University of New Jersey looked at the effects of lutein using the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7)

LPS stimulates the production of nitric oxide (NO), over-expression of NO has been reported to have detrimental effects in the host. Writing in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Rafi and Shafaie report that addition of lutein reduced NO production by 50 per cent, compared to the LPS-alone sample. Further study, looking at the expression of inducible NO synthase, the enzyme that produces NO, and found a 1.9-fold reduction in expression of this enzyme at the mRNA level, and a 72.5 per cent reduction in expression of this enzyme at the protein level.

"The results of this study suggest the anti-inflammatory properties of lutein demonstrated by the decrease in the expression of iNOS at the mRNA and protein levels in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells," they concluded. Public awareness of lutein has never been higher in Europe, with a recent survey, from Frost and Sullivan and commissioned by Kemin, finding that awareness has doubled compared to last year, to 25.8 per cent and 16 per cent in Italy and France, respectively. Germans showed the greatest awareness, of 33.3 per cent. The UK was the only country where it seemed to have slipped slightly, to 20 per cent (compared to 25.8 in 2005).