DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Navigen Pharmaceutical will develop a novel class of protein therapies for treating acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This work is based on the discovery by our scientific founder, Dean Li, M.D., Ph.D., that there are endogenous… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A Navigen founder, Dean Li, MD, PhD, has identified a novel endothelial receptor, Robo4. Robo4 is highly expressed in the retinal endothelium, and activation of this receptor by its endogenous ligand Slit-2 reduces VEG F-induced retinal vascular leak and oxygen… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of visual impairment of the elderly in developed countries. Despite its prevalence with the aging population, its etiology and pathogenesis are poorly unde rstood and the treatment options are… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In our Phase I application, we proposed that blocking HTRA1 with antibodies might be an effective strategy for treating age related macular degeneration. We tested this hypothesis by a) generating monoclonal antibodies against HTRA1 and b) determining whether a… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In our Phase 1 application, we described an endothelial specific receptor, Robo4, that is expressed in mature vessels and is upregulated following endothelial injury. Robo4, following activation by its protein ligand, S lit2, reduces agonist induced vascular leak… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Influenza infection leads to a cytokine storm as the host's immune system fights the virus. This combination of immunity factors has the unfortunate side effect of creating vascular leak. In the case of influenza patien ts, this vascular leak most often occurs in… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the United States alone, sepsis affects approximately 700,000 patients and leads to death of over 210,000 people per year. Sepsis is a clinical syndrome that results from a complex interaction between host and infectious agents, and is characterized by… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): HIV/AIDS remains a formidable global epidemic with 33 million infections worldwide, including over 1 million patients in the US. In 2008, there were 2.7 million new infections and 2 million AIDS-related deaths. CurrentHIV treatment combines drugs from several… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of severe lower respiratory tract infections in children and infants, affecting an estimated 64 million people and causing 160,000 deaths worldwide per year (WHO). Each year in the United States, ~100,000… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Ebola virus (EboV) is a filovirus that causes a highly deadly hemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates. Since its discovery in central Africa in 1976, there have been 16 natural human outbreaks with an averagemortality rate of 67%. There are no approved… More