Proteo Biotech AG
Proteo, Inc. / Proteo Biotech AG: Further rationale for Elafin treatment in newborn infants – convincing preclinical evidence in a neonatal pulmonary model
Proteo Biotech AG / Key word(s): Research Update/Study Proteo, Inc. / Proteo Biotech AG: Further rationale for Elafin treatment in newborn infants – convincing preclinical evidence in a neonatal pulmonary model Irvine, CA – Kiel, June 27, 2012 – Proteo, Inc. (OTCBB: PTEO; Frankfurter Freiverkehr: WKN: 925981) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Proteo Biotech AG announced today: An international group of leading clinically active pulmonary researchers from the Departments of Pediatrics of the Universities of Stanford, Munich and Alberta, have published further evidence for the use of Elafin in the treatment of newborn infants whose lungs are incompletely developed. Mechanical ventilation of preterm babies with oxygen-rich gas offers life-saving treatment for newborn infants with respiratory failure, but can also promote lung injury with a considerable risk of chronic lung disease in later life. One reason for this is that lung elastin, a key determinant of lung growth and repair, is disordered by mechanical ventilation. A therapeutic agent to prevent ventilator-induced neonatal lung injury would be very helpful for the support of premature infants and improvement of their prognosis. In the context of their work on the adverse effects of mechanical ventilation on neonatal lung development, the scientists worked with neonatal mice genetically modified to produce Elafin in their vasculature. These mice were almost completely protected against ventilator-induced lung inflammation and the structural damage to their lungs was attenuated. The results of this transgenic animal model confirm previous findings in which administration of Elafin to wild-type animals had similar effects. The results strongly suggest that degradation and remodeling of lung elastin can contribute to defective lung growth in response to mechanical ventilation and the authors surmise that this degradation might be targeted therapeutically by Elafin. Further research on this topic is in progress at Stanford University, funded by grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for the study of Elafin's ability to treat three distinct lung diseases. Dr. Oliver Wiedow, who discovered Elafin and founded Proteo: »We are very confident that these results in animal models can be further substantiated within the framework of the ongoing intensive research and we hope very much that one day Elafin will support newborn infants with incompletely developed lungs«.
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Further information on the clinical development program for Elafin
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Email: info@proteo.de End of Corporate News 27.06.2012 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP – a company of EquityStory AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. DGAP’s Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de |
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