UHN Joins the Phase II Trial of LSALT Peptide Targeting Cardiac Surgery Associated-Acute Kidney Injury

TORONTO, April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arch Biopartners Inc., (“Arch” or the “Company”) (TSX Venture: ARCH and OTCQB: ACHFF), announced today that Anesthesia Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU), an academic research organization in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management at the University Health Network (UHN), has joined the Phase II trial for LSALT peptide targeting the prevention and treatment of cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI). LSALT peptide is the Company’s lead drug candidate for preventing and treating inflammation injury in the kidneys, lungs and liver.

“Our team of investigators including Dr Cusimano and Dr Djaiani alongside with the ACTU is excited to be participating in this trial that may reduce the high burden of acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. We aim to submit and obtain all necessary institutional approvals to be able to initiate the study at the Toronto General Hospital”, said Dr. Karkouti (Director, ACTU).

The UHN clinical team has submitted an application to the local ethics board for permission to participate in the trial.

The addition of UHN as the second Canadian hospital site increases the number of trial sites to eight, with six active clinical sites in Turkey.

The CS-AKI Phase II trial is an international multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of LSALT peptide. The recruitment target for the trial is 240 patients. The primary objective of the trial is to evaluate the percentage of subjects with AKI within seven days following on-pump (heart-lung machine) cardiac surgery, defined by the KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria.

Details of the Phase II trial, entitled “Phase 2 Global, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of LSALT peptide for the Prevention or Attenuation of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in Patients Undergoing On-Pump Cardiac Surgery” can be viewed at clinicaltrials.gov.

Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (CS-AKI) and LSALT peptide

CS-AKI is often caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) that reduces blood flow (ischemia) and thus oxygen in the kidney, causing kidney cell damage. Once blood flow is restored to normal (reperfusion), inflammation is triggered and injury to kidney cells is exacerbated. In the worst cases of AKI, kidneys fail, leading to kidney dialysis or kidney transplant. There is no treatment available in the market today that prevents acute kidney injury of the type commonly experienced by on-pump cardiac surgery patients.