BP-C2 Reduces Mortality when Administered 24 Hours Post-Exposure in a Murine Model of Severe, Radiation-Induced Gastrointestinal Acute Radiation Syndrome (GI-ARS)

CHICAGO, Oct. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Meabco Inc. announced today that BP-C2, a drug being developed as a radioprotective and radiomitigative agent with applications in oncology and public health preparedness, was able to protect mice when administered 24 hours following lethal radiation exposure. These results expand the relevance and applicability of BP-C2 to GI-ARS. While there are FDA-approved drugs for hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS), there remains no approved drugs for mitigating GI-ARS in victims of radiation emergencies or in cancer patients treated with radiotherapies. BP-C2 is also being developed for treatment of cutaneous radiation injury (CRI).

“With over 18 million new cancer cases diagnosed each year, cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. Today, half of all cancer patients will have radiotherapy, sooner or later,” explained Svend Aage Engelholm, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, a Scientific Advisor to Meabco. “Although radiation therapy technology has undergone dramatic development in the last decade, there is no effective therapy to treat the side effects that many patients will suffer including radiation-induced burns, mucositis, and gastrointestinal complications. Today’s announcement regarding efficacy of BP-C2 in mitigation of gastrointestinal radiation syndromes in an animal model is truly important and will help us to further its development with the ultimate goal of providing relief to cancer patients in the future.”

The benefit of BP-C2 was demonstrated using a well-characterized GI-ARS murine model established by SRI International. In the study, oral BP-C2, administered 24 hours after radiation exposure, improved the survival of C57BL/6J mice exposed to 12.3Gy gamma-radiation. “This study, conducted in a very severe, 70% lethal, murine model of the acute GI syndrome provides critical evidence for a significant survival effect, and helps define the best treatment protocol for administration of BP-C2,” stated internationally recognized radiobiologist Thomas MacVittie, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Radiation Oncology and Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. Data from the study will be presented at the Radiation Research Society annual meeting October 18-21, 2020.

This study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under Contract No. HHSN272201500013I.

About BP-C2

BP-C2 is a novel lignin-derived polyphenolic composition with ammonium molybdate, developed as a radioprotector and radiomitigator for oncology and public health preparedness. An oral or topical drug with low toxicity that can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 months, BP-C2 is an ideal candidate for public health emergency preparedness efforts.

About Meabco Inc.

Meabco Inc. is a drug development company based in Chicago, IL, aiming to advance BP-C2 as a drug candidate for radioprotection/radiomitigation. Its parent company, Meabco A/S, with offices in Denmark, Russia, Norway, and the United States, focuses on breakthrough therapies in cancer treatment and radioprotection.

Meabco’s technology platform is based on BP-Cx-1, a patented complex of lignin-derived polyphenols, which can be conjugated with different agents to produce functionally different pharmaceuticals. BP-C1 (BP-Cx-1 complexed with platinum) is an oncology drug that has been studied in multiple Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials and is being developed for late stage cancers. BP-C2 (BP-Cx-1 complexed with molybdenum) is a preclinical stage asset that is being developed as a radioprotective and radiomitigative agent with applications in oncology and public health preparedness.