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WOBURN, Mass., June 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aphios Corporation today announced that it and the LSU Health Shreveport Department of Molecular & Cellular Physiology have been granted United States Patent No. 9,994,585 entitled “Transplantation Therapies,” for the use of the marine pharmaceutical ‘Bryostatin-1’ as an additive to organ transport and storage solutions.

‘Bryostatin-1’ as a transplant solution additive stabilizes the vascular endothelial compartment against the infiltration of inflammatory leukocytes, especially neutrophils and macrophages in post-transplant liver and kidney which in large part drives graft failure in these and other organs. Low organ availability and limitations imposed by longer-term storage remain a central barrier in transplant medicine for wait-listed recipients. The necessity of using organs which have become ‘marginal’ increases the risk of graft failure. The marginal status of donor organs often reflects the development of ischemic injury which occurs during extended storage and transport. This leads to a lower number of viable organs which are available for transplantation. The use of Bryostatin-1 stabilizes the vascular compartment against such injury for up to 72h. This technology also addresses several remaining and unsolved issues in surgery and trauma which are of immediate relevance to both civilian and military combat scenarios.

J. Steven Alexander, PhD, Professor of Molecular & Cellular Physiology and Medicine at LSU Health Shreveport, working with April Carpenter Elrod, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health and Exercise Physiology at Ursinus College, and Dr. Trevor P. Castor at Aphios Corporation in Woburn, MA, discovered that the treatment of blood vessels with Bryostatin-1, a compound derived from the marine bryozoans species Bugula neritina, stabilizes blood vessel cells called ‘endothelial’ cells, allowing them to stop the infiltration by white cells, which should lead to better organ survival and many more organs being available. This will also allow more organs to now be safely shipped trans-nationally and even internationally. Another important critical feature is that this drug does not need to be given to the recipient, but rather is only introduced to the donor organ during cold storage.  “The approach is nothing less than revolutionary and before very long we hope that it will be widely used as a main transplant solution,” said Dr. J. Steven Alexander about the new use patent.

About LSU Health Shreveport
LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport is home to the School of Medicine, School of Graduate Studies and School of Allied Health Professions (800 students and 600 residents).  The primary mission of the LSU’s Health Sciences Center at Shreveport is to teach, heal, and discover, in order to advance the well-being of the region and beyond.  At the heart of LSUHSC-S is a strong faculty that includes over 600 nationally and internationally-acclaimed physicians and scientists.  LSU Health Shreveport has strong community support, fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion that promotes mutual respect for all.  For more information, visit www.lsuhscshreveport.edu.

About Aphios Corporation
Aphios Corporation (www.aphios.com) is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing green enabling technology platforms for improving drug discovery, manufacturing, delivery and safety, and enhanced natural therapeutics for health maintenance and disease prevention, and the treatment of cancers and supportive care, infectious diseases such as HIV, and CNS disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and opioid addiction.

For More Information Contact:
Trevor P. Castor, Ph.D., CEO
(001) 781-932-6933
tcastor@aphios.com