Unmet Need
More than 1 million tissue transplantations are performed each year. Organ transplantation therapies are typically combined with immunosuppressive agents to reduce the risk of allograft rejection and to enhance transplant survival. However, current immunosuppressive drugs are administered systemically and have several dose-limiting side effects caused by their dampening of immune function. These include impairment of renal function, hypertension, and lymphatic malignancies. There is therefore a need for a locally administered immunosuppressant which reduces drug associated toxicity from systematic distributions.
Technology Overview
A peptide hydrogel containing an immunosuppressive small molecule drug in crystalized form has been developed. The crystalized drug is dispersed throughout the hydrogel, allowing for sustained delivery to a targeted area. The hydrogel is injected to the adjacent or surrounding the therapeutically relevant area using a syringe. In a study example, the immunosuppressant tofacitinib, was loaded into the peptide hydrogels and studied in an in-vivo heterotrophic heat transplant mouse model. In combination with a common immunosuppressant, CTLA4-Ig, the drug loaded peptide hydrogel improved survival times threefold.
Stage of Development
The inventors have developed peptide hydrogels capable of delivering immunosuppressive drugs and have validated performance in one in-vivo mouse model.
