EPOtecting tissue

The ability of erythropoietin to stimulate red blood cells has resulted in several blockbuster drugs to treat anemia. But Warren Pharmaceuticals Inc. thinks there are additional uses for EPO, specifically in tissue protection. Last week, the company granted Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc rights to EPO derivatives for tissue protection outside the nervous system.

EPO's tissue protection properties were discovered in the mid-1990s, when multiple groups of Japanese researchers observed that direct administration of EPO to the brain of animals protected against stroke. "At that time, our experiments found that you didn't need to give EPO directly to the injured tissue," said CSO Mike Brines...