APEPTICO presents its lead product AP301 at the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society in Vienna, Austria

08th September, 2009, Vienna, Austria: APEPTICO Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH, a biotechnology company developing a novel peptide-based drug for the treatment of the life threatening disease “Acute Lung Injury” today announced, that it will present its most recent scientific results for APEPTICO’s lead compound AP301 at the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society which starts on 12th September 2009 in Vienna, Austria.

At the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), Prof. Dr. Rudolf Lucas, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of APEPTICO Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH, will present the most recent results for APEPTICO’s lead compound AP301 to the audience of international clinicians and scientists. AP301, which recently received Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission, is being developed by APEPTICO Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH for the treatment of the life threatening disease “Acute Lung Injury”. Prof. Lucas will give oral presentations on 13th September entitled “The lectin-like domain of TNF improves lung function after rat lung transplantation - potential role for a reduction in Reactive Oxygen Species generation” and on 15th September entitled “Novel regulators of alveolar liquid clearance”.

The ERS Congress is the largest international conference specialising in pulmonary medicine. It provides a unique forum where scientists and medical professionals from around the world have the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas and information in the field of respiratory medicine. The scientific programme of the ERS Congress aims to provide a perfect balance between clinical education and the latest scientific developments. The ERS Congress highlights key issues in the diagnosis, management and treatment of respiratory diseases, giving clinicians and research scientists the opportunity to report the latest findings in basic, clinical and population research.

Dr. Bernhard Fischer, CEO of APEPTICO commented: “I am pleased that the ERS Congress organising committee is giving Professor Rudolf Lucas the opportunity to present our most recent results for AP301 in the context of two scientific symposia. In addition, at the invitation of the ERS Congress organisers, APEPTICO will be presenting the development stage biotechnology company in the scientific exhibition area. There are only a handful of companies in Austria developing biotechnology-based medicine for the treatment of pulmonary diseases.” “Please visit APEPTICO at booth D.06 during the ERS Congress” added Dr. Fischer.

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Notes to Editors:

About APEPTICO Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH
APEPTICO is a privately-held biotechnology company based in Austria, developing peptide-based products targeting chronic and life-threatening diseases. The peptide molecules correspond to validated, pharmacodynamic active structures and domains of well-known proteins and biopharmaceuticals. By concentrating on synthetically produced protein structures APEPTICO avoids any risk of transmitting microbial and viral infections. Development cost and time to market are significantly reduced if compared to the recombinant development process of biomolecules.
APEPTICO’s development platform PEPBASETM combines structural, functional and clinical data from relevant biopharmaceuticals and well-characterised proteins. Based on preclinical and clinical data, including adverse reactions, risk factors and contraindications to be circumvented and supported by structural, biochemical and physicochemical data, for each relevant protein a specific profile is established that links biological & functional properties with discrete structural elements.

About Acute Lung Injury (ALI)
Acute Lung Injury (ALI) is a pulmonary disorder characterised by acute onset, bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on chest radiograph consistent with pulmonary oedema, poor systemic oxygenation, and the absence of evidence of left arterial hypertension. There are many possible causes of ALI, such as inhaling high concentrations of smoke, toxins, or oxygen; severe burns; blood infections; lung infections; or trauma to other parts of the body. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is the most catastrophic form of ALI.
Lungs contain alveoli, which are tiny air sacs where the oxygen is passed into the blood. In ALI blood and fluid begin to leak into the alveoli. When this happens, oxygen cannot enter the alveoli, which means oxygen is no longer getting into the blood. Because the lungs are inflamed and filled with fluid, the patient finds it increasingly difficult to breathe. ALI is life-threatening because it makes breathing extremely difficult. The mortality rate of ALI/ARDS is 30% to 60% within 2 to 4 weeks.
Currently, no approved pharmacological therapy for ALI is available. ALI patients are treated with intensive support, which includes various strategies for assisted ventilation. A large number of treatments have failed to improve survival. These include glucocorticosteroids, surfactant, prostaglandin E1, ketoconazole, prostacyclin, nitric oxide, and almitrine.

About AP301
AP301 is a synthetic peptide that corresponds to a structural motif of the human Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha. It is water soluble and can be administered into the lung by instillation or as aerosol. AP301 has been designed for the treatment of Acute Lung Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and has additional significant potential in other forms of permeability oedema and ischemia-reperfusion injury, such as lung transplantation and pneumonia. AP301 activates lung oedema reabsorption and protects both endothelial and epithelial lung cells from microbial toxin- and reactive oxygen species-induced hyper-permeability.

About Orphan Medicinal Product Designation in the EU
“Orphan medicinal products” are intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of rare and life-threatening or chronically debilitating conditions. The legislative framework for orphan medicines aims to stimulate research and development of medicines for rare diseases by providing incentives to the pharmaceutical industry. These incentives include fee reductions or exemptions for regulatory services, 10 year marketing exclusivity and direct access to EU registration via a centralized procedure, resulting in one single license for 27 EU member states.

Contact
Univ.- Doz. Dr. Bernhard Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
APEPTICO Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH
c/o mingo bueros, Mariahilferstraße 136, Top 1.15
1150 Vienna, Austria
T: +43-664-1432919
F: +43-664-1477280
E-mail: office@apeptico.com
URL: www.apeptico.com

Dr. Bernhard Fischer
APEPTICO Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH
c/o mingo bueros, Mariahilferstraße 136, Top 1.15
1150 Vienna, Austria

This release was published on openPR.