Acute Renal Failure (ARF) is the sudden disruption or previously flannel kidney function, and is associated with high mortality in hospitalized patients. Patients are ARF can sometimes recover if they receive hemodialysis to correct metabolic, acid-base, and fluid imbalances which provides time for the kidney to exhibit its extraordinary intrinsic ability to repair itself. NephRx Corporation is founder on the premise that renal regeneration after ARF is promoted by growth factors released by cells in the injured kidney that mediate restoration of nephron structure and return of organ function. Development of these growth factors as therapeutic agents to speed renal regeneration after ARF, would shorten length of hospitalization, decrease mortality and help reduce the cost of health care. Wound Growth Factor is a novel protein that is mitogenic for kidney epithelial cells but not fibroblasts. It mediates the repair or scrape wounds in a cell culture model of ARF. This factor has been purified and its amino terminal sequence has been obtained.
The specific aims or this Phase I SBIR proposal are to obtain the cDNA clone encoding Wound Growth Factor using the amino-terminal sequence information, to express and purify the recombinant protein and confirm its mitogenic potency in cell culture. Obtaining the WGF clone and demonstrating its mitogenic potency will lead to development of WGF as a potential therapeutic agent for ARF in animal models during Phase II, and eventually in humans with this condition.
If successful, this project would have great commercial potential.
