According to the company, ENT-01 is an orally administered, synthetic derivative of
squalamine that acts locally on the enteric nerve cells of the gut, stimulating gut motility and altering afferent neural signalling from gut to brain.
Results from the phase II IMPACT study of
squalamine lactate, based on an extract from the tissues of dogfish sharks, continue to show promise for AMD patients.
Zasloff discovered the molecule,
squalamine, in 1993 in the dogfish shark, a small-to medium-size shark found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Squalamine, a cholesterollike molecule, is thought to be a key element of the shark's primitive immune system.
The compound,
squalamine, has been in human clinical trials for the treatment of cancer and several eye disorders, and so has a well-known safety profile, suggesting it can be quickly tested as a new class of drugs to treat infections caused by these viruses.
This agreement reflects a first step in the execution of Genaera's strategy to divest its non-core-assets, including
Squalamine and LOMUCIN.
These include
squalamine, an anti-angiogenesis treatment for eye disease and cancer; interleukin-9 antibody, a respiratory treatment based on the discovery of a genetic cause of asthma; and LOMUCIN(TM), a mucoregulator to treat the overproduction of mucus and secretions involved in many forms of chronic respiratory disease.
A shark substance called
squalamine is being studied as a medicine in fighting cancer tumors.
Called
squalamine, this steroid resembles plant compounds now used to kill intestinal parasites.
Under the RASMET study, the company evaluated the safety, tolerability and efficacy of an orally administered synthetic derivative of
squalamine (ENT-01).
First up is
squalamine, a compound first discovered in the tissues of dogfish sharks, which looks set to upset the AMD market.
EVIZON (
squalamine lactate) is Genaera's lead product in development for ophthalmic indications, specifically wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).