New Treatment for Sepsis

Background

Septic shock occurs from an overwhelming bacterial infection and is characterized by severe hypotension with low blood flow. It is the 13th leading cause of death in the United States with a mortality rate of 30%-50% due to the lack of effective treatments. In addition to the devastating effects of this syndrome on individuals, it incurs billions of dollars annually in healthcare costs.

Technology Description

Nitric oxide (NO) is produced in high quantities during sepsis and plays a major role in the development of hypotension. Cobalamin is known from previous studies in animal models to scavenge NO and to reduce mortality from septic shock. Researchers at UCSD have recently discovered that the cobalamin precursor cobinamide binds NO with 100 times greater affinity than cobalamin (Reactions of Nitric Oxide with Vitimin B12 and its Precursor, Cobinamide). They have developed a rapid and inexpensive method to produce cobinamide and have found that cobinamide, like cobalamin, shows no evidence of toxicity in rodent and human cells. Cobinamide has the potential to be extremely valuable in the treatment of septic shock.

Patent Status

Additional Patent Pending