TSRL, Inc. awarded NIH Grant to Discover Novel, Safe, Efficacious Heparin Reversal Therapy
/Ann Arbor, Michigan, December 8th, 2022 – TSRL, Inc., a privately-held preclinical accelerator, announced that in September the company was awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institute of Health (NIH).
TSRL and its collaborators from the University of Michigan and the University of British Columbia were awarded close to $400,000 to generate critical in vivo proof-of-concept data over the next year to de-risk their lead, second-generation, heparin-reversal therapeutic toward clinical development.
“We are excited to work with this world-class team on the development of a completely novel dendrimer-based therapy approach to rapidly restore blood clotting function when needed in a variety of conditions that require temporary or chronic heparin therapy.”
Anticoagulants and their reversal agents are crucial for managing unwarranted blood clotting (i.e. thrombosis). Heparin is used for thrombosis prevention in multiple clinical indications, including procedures such as catheter ablation and cardiopulmonary bypass, after which heparin’s anticoagulant activity requires prompt neutralization.
Protamine sulfate, the only FDA-approved reversal agent for heparin, is a 60-year-old drug with a Black Box Warning. Its clinical use is constrained by two major limitations:
Requirement of titration because of its very narrow therapeutic safety window.
Potentially life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions or anaphylaxis manifesting as severe hypotension, cardiovascular collapse, pulmonary edema, pulmonary vasoconstriction, and pulmonary hypertension.
Thus, there is a large unmet medical need to discover and develop novel heparin reversal agents with a wider therapeutic window and better safety profile.
“Jay Kizhakkedathu, Ph.D. and colleagues at the University of British Columbia have developed a novel, safe drug platform that allows for safely blocking the action of all types of heparin – even low molecular weight heparins that currently lack an effective reversal agent. It is exciting to work with them and TSRL scientists to bring this promising drug candidate closer to the clinic.”
About TSRL, Inc.:
TSRL, Inc. is a preclinical biotech accelerator. We collaborate with partners in academia and industry to develop early-stage therapeutics and drug delivery technologies. In these collaborations, we provide infrastructure, drug development expertise, and access to non-dilutive funding. Our portfolio holds promising lead-stage therapeutics. We are actively looking for new technologies and strategic partnerships. More information about TSRL, Inc. and portfolio technologies are available at http://www.tsrlinc.com or can be requested by contacting Elke Lipka, CEO, elipka@tsrlinc.com
