InteliSpark client, CytoAgents, is awarded $1.66 million from the National Institutes of Health to research and test the safety and efficacy of a new drug that treats influenza-related hypercytokinemia, a severe immune reaction that may be life-threatening and lead to multiple-organ failure.
Every fall, Americans young and old, get the flu vaccine only to have to take it again the following year and perhaps every year thereafter for the rest of their lives. With the existence of multiple strains and the emergence of new ones, the vaccine does not provide 100% protection even for those who are most diligent in getting the vaccine annually.
An estimated 45 million people contracted the flu in the 2017–2018 influenza season, resulting in 21 million flu-related medical visits, 810,000 flu-related hospitalizations, and 61,000 flu-related deaths. The annual economic burden of the flu on the US healthcare system and society is around $11.2 billion.
The severity of flu varies from person to person with the most extreme cases leaving patients in a state of acute respiratory distress and multi-organ dysfunction. Hypercytokinemia is a severe immune response when a large number of cytokines are released into the body causing infections, autoimmune conditions, or other diseases. Antiviral drugs are not always effective due to the existence of multiple strains. Some patients even develop resistance to antivirals.
CytoAgents, a clinical stage biotechnology company, is revolutionizing the treatment of viral infectious diseases. Their platform technology is based on a well-studied agent that has the potential to mitigate flu-related hypercytokinemia. The NIH Small Business Innovation Research program selected this project for a direct-to-phase II, demonstrating the promise this new drug may have in treating severe cases of the flu.