Thrombomodulin alfa prevents oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic symptoms through activation of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and protein C without affecting anti-tumor activity.

Oxaliplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent, is widely used to treat colorectal cancer, but it induces peripheral neuropathy as a serious dose-limiting side effect. Recently, thrombomodulin alfa, a recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin, was reported to prevent oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy in a clinical phase 2 study. Here we conducted preclinical pharmacology studies. Rats were given oxaliplatin (6 mg/kg) intravenously to induce mechanical hyperalgesia associated with peripheral neuropathy. Single intravenous administration of thrombomodulin alfa (0.1, 0.3, 1 mg/kg) dose dependently prevented the development of oxaliplatin-induced mechanical hyperalgesia, with no sex difference in the efficacy. The preventative effect of thrombomodulin alfa on mechanical hyperalgesia was attenuated by antithrombin or carboxypeptidase inhibitor. In addition, carboxypeptidase B, a homolog of activated thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and human-derived activated protein C, prevented mechanical hyperalgesia, whereas antithrombin or other anti-coagulants did not. These results suggest that thrombomodulin alfa prevents sensory symptoms of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy through the activation of TAFI and protein C by modulating thrombin activity, but the effects are independent of an anticoagulant effect. On the other hand, thrombomodulin alfa did not affect the anti-cancer activity of oxaliplatin on human colon cancer cell lines or mice transplanted with HCT116 cells. These results indicate that thrombomodulin alfa prevents sensory symptoms of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy without affecting the anti-tumor activity of oxaliplatin. Therefore, thrombomodulin alfa is a promising drug to prevent the symptoms of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Report of the international conference on regulatory endeavors towards the sound development of human cell therapy products.

The regulation of human cell therapy products is a key factor in their development and use to treat human diseases. In that regard, there is a recognized need for a global effort to develop a set of common principles that may serve to facilitate a convergence of regulatory approaches to ensure the smooth and efficient evaluation of products. This conference, with experts from regulatory agencies, industry, and academia, contributed to the process of developing such a document. Elements that could form a minimum consensus package of requirements for evaluating human cell therapy products were the overall focus of the conference. The important regulatory considerations that are unique to human cell therapy products were highlighted. Sessions addressed specific points that are different from those of traditional biological/biotechnological protein products. Panel discussions complemented the presentations. The conference concluded that most of the current regulatory framework is appropriate for cell therapy, but there are some areas where the application of the requirements for traditional biologicals is inappropriate. In addition, it was agreed that there is a need for international consensus on core regulatory elements, and that one of the major international organizations should take the lead in formulating such a consensus document.

Re-examination of regulatory opinions in Europe: possible contribution for the approval of the first gene therapy product Glybera.

The first commercially approved human gene therapy in the Western world is Glybera (alipogene tiparvovec), which is an adenoassociated viral vector encoding the lipoprotein lipase gene. Glybera was recommended for marketing authorization by the European Medicines Agency in 2012. The European Medicines Agency had only ever reviewed three marketing authorization applications for gene therapy medicinal products. Unlike in the case of Glybera, the applications of the first two products, Cerepro and Contusugene Ladenovec Gendux/Advexin, both of which were for cancer diseases, were withdrawn. In this report, we studied the European public assessment reports of the three gene therapy products. During the assessment process, Glybera was re-examined and reviewed for a fourth time. We therefore researched the re-examination procedure of the European Union regulatory process. Approximately 25% of the new medicinal products initially given negative opinions from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use were ultimately approved after re-examination from 2009 to 2013. The indications of most medicines were changed during the re-examination procedure, and the products were later approved with a mode of approval. These results suggested that the re-examination system in the European Union contributed to the approval of both several new drugs and the first gene therapy product.

The regulation of allogeneic human cells and tissue products as biomaterials.

The current definition of biomaterials differs vastly from it of just a decade ago. According to advancing technologies, it encompasses unpredictable materials such as engineered human cells and tissue. These biomaterials also have to be approved to use in health care business by regulatory authority, which are defined as drug, medical device, or biologics in the regulation. This Leading Opinion Paper addresses the regulatory issues of engineered human cells and tissue products using allogeneic cells that should have a great possibility to develop therapeutics for life-threating diseases or orphan diseases. Six allogeneic human cells and tissue products derived from neonatal or infant fibroblasts and/or keratinocytes were approved as medical devices or biologics in the United States as well as a hematopoietic cell product. For five of the seven products, well-controlled comparative clinical trials were conducted as pre-approval evaluation followed by post-approval evaluation. Although these products avoid a sterilization process usually used for medical devices, no serious malfunction that would lead to class 1 recall was reported. This article would provide insight for development of the engineered human cells and tissue.

Demonstration of elevation and localization of Rho-kinase activity in the brain of a rat model of cerebral infarction.

Evidence that Rho-kinase is involved in cerebral infarction has accumulated. However, it is uncertain whether Rho-kinase is activated in the brain parenchyma in cerebral infarction. To answer this question, we measured Rho-kinase activity in the brain in a rat cerebral infarction model. Sodium laurate was injected into the left internal carotid artery, inducing cerebral infarction in the ipsilateral hemisphere. At 6 h after injection, increase of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and c-Fos was found in the ipsilateral hemisphere, suggesting that neuronal damage occurs. At 0.5, 3, and 6 h after injection of laurate, Rho-kinase activity in extracts of the cerebral hemispheres was measured by an ELISA method. Rho-kinase activity in extracts of the ipsilateral hemisphere was significantly increased compared with that in extracts of the contralateral hemisphere at 3 and 6 h but not 0.5 h after injection of laurate. Next, localization of Rho-kinase activity was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis in sections of cortex and hippocampus including infarct area 6 h after injection of laurate. Staining for phosphorylation of myosin-binding subunit (phospho-MBS) and myosin light chain (phospho-MLC), substrates of Rho-kinase, was elevated in neuron and blood vessel, respectively, in ipsilateral cerebral sections, compared with those in contralateral cerebral sections. These findings indicate that Rho-kinase is activated in neuronal and vascular cells in a rat cerebral infarction model, and suggest that Rho-kinase could be an important target in the treatment of cerebral infarction.