Show me the Evidence
Research in the Pipeline
Reformulated Analgesic Significantly Shrinks Scarring
Dr. Benjamin Alman, head of orthopedic surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, has spent years advancing the understanding of beta-catenin, a protein that plays a key role in whether skin and bones heal or degenerate. His search for a drug that could regulate beta-catenin led him to an analgesic (pain reliever) called nefopam that has been on the market in Europe since the 1960s. Dr. Alman has reformulated the oral drug into a skin cream that can significantly reduce scarring. With an estimated potential market of $4 billion in the U.S. alone, the cream could be used for patients undergoing almost any kind of wound repair, surgery or joint replacement. Clinical trials are planned for 2013 in Toronto and Dr. Alman estimates the cream could be approved for sale within three years. Most of the revenues generated will flow back to SickKids to fund further research.
UBC Researcher Finding Ways Around the Aortic Aneurysm Dilemma
As the body ages, the walls of its main blood vessel, the aorta, can gradually weaken and expand. When weakened areas expand too much in one spot, health is threatened: abdominal aortic aneurysms represent the 13th leading cause of death in North America. Screening programs can pinpoint the presence of an aneurysm, but the surgery to repair it is so high-risk that it is only done when a rupture is likely to be imminent. CIHR-funded researcher Dr. David Granville of the University of British Columbia has identified an immune system enzyme named Granzyme B that breaks down the proteins that normally keep the aorta structurally sound. His studies with mice have shown that inhibiting Granzyme B can prevent the aortic wall from weakening and expanding into a dangerous aneurysm. Dr. Granville, co-founder of the Vancouver-based biotech company viDA Therapeutics, is looking for ways to develop a drug that could deactivate the Granzyme B enzymes, preventing them from gathering along the aorta and doing their damage.
Oral Version of Drug Could Save Thousands of Lives and Cut Costs
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that kills about 50,000 people each year in developing countries. The standard treatment for this disease is intravenous amphotericin B (amp B), a medication typically used to treat blood-borne and fungal infections. Unfortunately, because only trained health workers can provide the intravenous drip treatment, just a fraction of leishmaniasis patients ever receive amp B. Drs. Kishor and Ellen Wasan of the University of British Columbia co-invented an oral formulation of amp B and are securing Good Laboratory Practices accreditation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in anticipation of early-stage clinical trials. They have partnered with Vancouver-based iCo to commercialize the oral formulation, and the National Research Council of Canada contributed $1.1 million to develop it as a novel treatment for patients with HIV. In keeping with UBC’s Global Access Strategy, the company will provide the drug at cost to underprivileged populations.
- Modified: