AK275 calpain inhibitor data

Company scientists reported animal data showing the ability of a calpain inhibitor to reduce the amount of brain tissue injured by artery blockage, a model for human stroke. As reported at the Neurotrauma Society meeting in Washington, D.C., rats whose middle cerebral arteries were occluded had 75 percent less infarct area if the calpain inhibitor AK275 was infused onto the surface of the brain three hours after the occlusion (p < .0001).

Calpain inhibitors protect brain cells from the effects of intracellular calcium, which rises during injury from loss of oxygen. While the inhibitor may cross the blood-brain barrier, in the reported experiments AK275 was put directly into the brain. "We're still working on aspects of drug delivery," said Raymond Bartus, senior vice president of neurobiology. ...