iBio Receives Patent on Endostatin-Related Peptides with Potential to Treat IPF

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a new patent to iBio, covering the company’s rights for the use of endostatin-related peptides with therapeutic potential in a number of fibrotic diseases, including scleroderma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

The patent, US 9,365,616, is titled “Use of Endostatin Peptides for the Treatment of Fibrosis” and is part of a collaboration between iBio and Dr. Carol Feghali-Bostwick of the Medical University of South Carolina and colleagues. It includes proprietary rights pertaining to the composition of matter and methods for use for endostatin-related peptides. The U.S. patents 8,507,441 and 8,716,232 are also included in this group.

Fibrosis is a pathological process characterized by the abnormal activation and proliferation of cells called fibroblasts, which leads to end-stage organ failure as a result of the loss of normal organ architecture and normal function. Currently, no therapies effectively reverse organ fibrosis, and a lung transplant remains the most viable option for IPF patients.

Endostatin is a molecule often found in the extracellular matrix. It was originally identified as an inhibitor of the proliferation of endothelial cells, the cells that line blood vessels, with anti-tumor properties. In a study published in 2012 by Dr. Feghali-Bostwick, endostatin-derived peptides were found to be effective in inhibiting and reversing fibrosis in preclinical mouse models, as well as in human skin.

iBio obtained exclusive licenses to the previous patents and related intellectual property developed by Dr. Feghali-Bostwick. Then, the company entered into a collaboration with the Medical University of South Carolina that led to further development of endostatin-derived peptides for fibrotic diseases.

In a recent study, titled “An endostatin-derived peptide orally exerts anti-fibrotic activity in a murine pulmonary fibrosis model” and published in International Immunopharmacology, Dr. Feghali-Bostwick and colleagues also reported that oral administration of endostatin-derived peptides exerted anti-fibrotic activity in a pulmonary fibrosis mouse model, further emphasizing the therapeutic potential of these molecules.

Using its patented proprietary gene expression technology, iBio has produced the active product candidate covered by the patents and expects to enter large-scale production to test the product in human clinical trials if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves studies designed to test the drug candidate.