Protein Chemist, Pat Grasso, CSSJ, gets peptide licensed by Aegis Therapeutics

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In Pat's own words...

Although my graduate degree is in Anatomy, my research interest since 1980 has been in endocrinology and biochemistry. I am a protein chemist by trade, and for many years, used my skill with a technique called solid phase peptide synthesis to make small fragments of hormones in order to isolate the part of the molecule that contains the active sequence. My initial research years were spent doing this with reproductive hormones. In the mid '90s, a paper came out which reported that a group of scientists at Rockefeller University had sequenced the gene controlling the production of the hormone leptin, and in so doing, had isolated the mutation in thei gene that was responsible for obesity in leptin-deficient mice. Shotly after that, there was a flurry of activity in the medical world putting leptin into clinical trials in humans. The results of these trials were less than satisfactory; leptin was not crossing the human blood brain barrier into the part of the brain responsible for leptin's action.

At this point, my interest turned from reproductive hormones to leptin, and my research team and I decided to see if we could isolate the active fragment of leptin, and if that fragment would cause obese mice to eat less and lose weight. We were successful, and published our findings in 1997. A number of laboratories in the U.S. and around the world confirmed our results. We then decided to apply common peptide synthesis techniques to our active peptide in order to try to increase its activity, and after a couple of years the OB-3 peptide was produced. Using this peptide, we discovered that not only did it have effects on energy balance, but as the mice lost weight, their blood glucose levels were down as well. Thus, the potential of our peptide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes surfaced. Albany Medical College then decided that it would be best for us to patent our peptide, and we did so.

Five years ago, the President and CEO of Aegis Therapeutics, in San Diego, CA called me at home and asked if we had licensed our peptide out to anyone for commerical development and movement into the clinic. My answer was "no". Aegis licensed our peptide, and provided us with their patented transmucosal absorption enhancing agent called "Intravail" to see if our peptide could be administered in some other way than by injection. It could. We were able to give our OB-3 peptide to obese mice as a nose drop, and later by mouth, and it retained activity causing them to eat less and lose weight, and to lower blood glucose levels. In addition, it was able to reverse the bone loss associated with severe weight loss.

And this where we are today. Aegis Therapeutics has signed a second agreement with Albany Medical College to market our peptide and its Intravail agent to larger pharmaceutical companies who will agree to fund all the toxocology studies and clinical trials necessary for FDA approval. The first step has been sucessfully taken, now we need more of your good prayers to further this venture.