ReAlta Life Sciences Announces New Research Collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to Evaluate RLS-0071 as a Medical Countermeasure for Acute Radiation Syndrome
March 28 2024 - 9:30AM
Business Wire
ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. (“ReAlta” or the “Company”), a
mid-stage clinical biotech company dedicated to saving lives by
rebalancing the inflammatory response to address life-threatening
diseases, today announces that the company will be utilizing the
preclinical services program offered by the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to evaluate RLS-0071 as a
medical countermeasure for Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS). Under a
research collaboration, scientists at the Armed Forces Radiobiology
Research Institute (AFRRI), working with support from the Radiation
and Nuclear Countermeasures Program (RNCP) at NIAID, will evaluate
the ability RLS-0071 to mitigate the gastrointestinal effects of
ARS (GI-ARS) in a preclinical mouse model.
“We are very pleased to partner with NIAID and AFRRI to evaluate
ReAlta’s lead drug candidate, RLS-0071, as a radiation
countermeasure for GI-ARS,” says Dr. Ulrich Thienel, Chief
Executive Officer of ReAlta. “Our collaboration may provide a
much-needed therapy for radiation-induced tissue damage that is
associated with high mortality.” Dr. Neel Krishna, Chief Scientific
Officer at ReAlta adds that, “the anti-inflammatory, dual
mechanism-of-action of RLS-0071 enables the rapid inhibition of
both complement activation and neutrophil effectors that are key
initiators of deadly inflammation in ARS.”
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
As one of the 27 institutes and centers of the U.S. NIH, NIAID
conducts and supports basic and applied research to better
understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic,
and allergic diseases. For more than 60 years, NIAID research has
led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other
technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in
the U.S. and around the world.
About AFRRI
AFRRI was established in 1961 and operated by the U.S. Defense
Atomic Support Agency and the Defense Nuclear Agency until 1993,
when it was realigned with the Uniformed Services University of the
Health Sciences (USUHS). AFRRI is unique and powerful
radiobiological research institute, with six decades of active,
robust, and outstanding support to the U.S. Department of Defense
through research, reach-back, and education. It is the only U. S.
Department of Defense medical R&D facility dedicated solely to
nuclear and radiological defense.
About Acute Radiation Syndrome
ARS, also known as radiation sickness or radiation poisoning, is
a collection of health effects that are caused by exposure to high
amounts of ionizing radiation in a short period of time. Symptoms
can start within minutes of exposure and can last for several
months. Early symptoms are usually nausea and vomiting. In the
following hours or weeks, initial symptoms may appear to improve,
before the development of additional complications, after which
either recovery or death follows. Exposure to radiation can occur
accidentally or intentionally, and may involve nuclear power
reactor accidents or attacks, certain devices used in cancer
therapy, dirty bombs, or nuclear or radiological weapons.
About ReAlta Life Sciences
ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. is a mid-stage clinical biotech
company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory
response to address life threatening acute inflammatory and rare
diseases. The Company’s EPICC peptides are based on research into
the human astrovirus, HAstV-1, which causes a non-inflammatory,
self-limiting gastroenteritis unique among viruses by inhibiting
components of the innate immune system. ReAlta’s therapeutic
peptides leverage these virus-derived mechanisms to rebalance
complement and inflammatory processes in the body. The company’s
pipeline is led by RLS-0071, which has received IND clearance by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of
acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and
acute graft-versus-host disease, and IND clearance, Orphan Drug
Designation, and Fast Track Designation by the FDA, and Orphan Drug
Designation by the European Medicines Agency, for the treatment of
hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The company launched in 2018
and is located in Norfolk, Virginia and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. For
more information, please visit www.realtalifesciences.com.
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Media and Investor Contact: John Rickman Chief Financial
Officer jrickman@realtals.com