ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. announced 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).
Scientists at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), with support from the Radiation and Nuclear Countermeasures Program (RNCP) at NIAID, will evaluate the ability of 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. Our collaboration may provide a much-needed therapy for radiation-induced tissue damage that is associated with high mortality.”
Dr. Ulrich Thienel, Chief Executive Officer of ReAlta
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.
ReAlta’s pipeline is led by RLS-0071, which has received IND clearance, and Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency for the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates.
RLS-0071 is a 15 amino acid peptide that both inhibits humoral inflammation by blocking classical pathway complement activation and cellular inflammation by blocking the neutrophil effectors myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).
In Feb. 2024, ReAlta announced a Phase 2 clinical trial of RLS-0071 for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD) in hospitalized patients.