Researchers receive grant to study benefits of antibody in TBI
Omeros Corporation last week announced that an international consortium of complement experts from Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Poland was awarded $1.4 million in grant funding to study the benefits of inhibiting mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2) and the lectin pathway in traumatic brain injury(TBI).
Omeros’ (OMS721) is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits MASP-2.
According to a press release posted on the Business Wire website, the international consortium was awarded the grant by the Network of European Funding for Neuroscience Research (ERANET-NEURON), which is part of a European research area network funded by the European Commission.
Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and permanent disability worldwide, contributing to about 30 percent of all injury deaths in the U.S.
Those who survive a TBI can face cognitive and emotional effects lasting a few days – to disabilities that may last the rest of their lives. In 2010, about 2.5 million emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or deaths in the U.S. were associated with TBI.
Within minutes following the trauma, TBI induces the activation of several injurious cascades that develop over time and account for the majority of brain damage. A cascade is basically a biochemical reaction that is initiated in the brain and other tissues after seconds to minutes of inadequate blood supply to the brain. Among these, the lectin pathway of complement and its effector enzyme MASP-2 have been identified to contribute substantially to the detrimental outcome of TBI.
“The consortium’s project is entitled, ‘New therapeutic strategies in the treatment of traumatic brain injury by targeting the LEctinActivation Pathway of complement,’ or LEAP, and is focused on defining the contribution of lectin pathway activators and enzymes (MASP-1, MASP-2, and MASP-3) in driving post-traumatic brain injury and on assessing the therapeutic utility of MASP-2-blocking antibodies to reduce TBI-related morbidity and mortality in patients,” the press release reads. “The program also targets the development of biomarkers for use in TBI clinical trials.”
Omeros currently has an ongoing Phase 3 clinical program evaluating OMS721 as well as Phase 2 programs assessing the drug.
