Therapeutic Polypeptides & Their Use (U.S. Patent Application Number 61/890,585)

NIDDK investigators have developed a synthetic polypeptide with beneficial effects and prospective treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a major health and economic burden and requires transplantation or dialysis to avoid imminent death. ESRD is the final stage of CKD, which progresses over the course of decades. The major causes of CKD are diabetes and hypertension, and treatments for diabetes and hypertension are only partially effective to slow the progression of CKD. Only one class of drugs Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors and/or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ACEi/ARB) is effective for slowing CKD progression, but many CKD patients, especially African Americans, are resistant to ACEi/ARB therapy. Several anti-oxidant/anti-fibrotic agents (including bardoxolone and pirfenidone) have not shown efficacy in recent clinical trials. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches are needed for this large unmet medical need. The investigators previously demonstrated in a mouse preclinical model that CD36 is important for developing CKD, where deletion of the CD36 gene prevented most of the progression of CKD. Subsequently, they tested whether peptides designed to inhibit CD36 action could also prevent the progression of CKD.

CKD is highly prevalent in the US, affecting more than 20 million people. African Americans have a higher risk than Caucasians.