AsianScientist (Nov. 5, 2013) – 3SBio Inc., a China-based biotechnology company, has acquired patents for DJ5 to develop DJ5 as a treatment for progressive renal failure in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).
ADPKD is a hereditary renal disease affecting about 1 in 400 to 1 in 1,000 people. The estimated patient population is approximately 1.5 million in China and 10 million globally. Around 50 percent of people with ADPKD will develop end stage kidney disease, which might require dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Researchers with the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Science discovered and synthesized DJ5 and investigated its effect on disease progression and possible side effects in the Han:SPRD rat model of polycystic kidney disease. They concluded that DJ5 markedly delays the loss of renal function, inhibits cyst epithelial cell proliferation, and retards cyst development in Han:SPRD rats with ADPKD, without causing cardiac side effects.
Previous studies showed that the PPARgamma agonist thioglitazone (TZD) reduced renal cystogenesis, retarded the progression of kidney failure, and prolonged survival in ADPKD animal models. However, TZD treatment was also associated with side effects such as fluid retention and heart failure.
“We are pleased to be associated with SIMM and look forward to moving DJ5 into clinical trials in China. 3SBio continues to seek opportunities to support novel approaches to kidney related disorders and other unmet medical needs, particularly in 3SBio’s core therapeutic areas of nephrology and oncology,” said Dr. Jing Lou, CEO of 3SBio.
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Source: 3SBio.
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