Does Inhibiting Fibrosis-Type Inflammation Reduce Symptoms in a Mouse Model of GWI?
Abstract
Overarching Challenge: This Gulf War Illness Research Program Idea Award proposal addresses the FY20 GWIRP Overarching Challenge of Treatments: Eliminate the health consequences associated with GWI and revolutionize treatment. Objective and Rationale: The objective is to directly test the idea that a new potential therapeutic that we have found to inhibit inflammation will reduce symptoms in a mouse model of GWI. The rationale is based on four key observations. First, several reports from studies in Veterans indicate that GWI is strongly associated with an overactivation of the innate immune system (inflammation). Second, we have found a novel drug that inhibits inflammation in human cells and in mice. Third, GWI has major effects on the brain, and the novel drug activates a receptor that is expressed in human, rat, and mouse brain cells. Fourth, there are intriguing similarities between GWI, traumatic brain injury, and stroke, and we found that this drug eliminates signs of damage in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury, and also reduces symptoms in a rat model of stroke. We thus propose to test the drug in a standard mouse model of GWI that we have experience with. Applicability: The ultimate applicability of the research depends on the outcome. If we see no effect of the drug, we will inform the community and publish this, and the GWI research community will learn that this way to inhibit inflammation has little effect on the illness in a mouse model, and this will help to eliminate suspects in the mystery of this illness. If we do see efficacy of the drug, we will publish this and immediately start work to move the drug into clinical trials as a possible therapeutic for GWI. We will take advantage of our experience, and most importantly extensive industry contacts, developing a potential therapeutic for fibrosis (we previously, based on a discovery in the lab, formed a startup company, raised $226 million in venture capital to move the potential therapeutic into successful clinical trials, and then got Roche to buy the startup company to get the potential therapeutic to patients). Because we have the know-how and industry connections to do this quickly and efficiently, it will take only 2 additional years doing FDA-required drug product manufacturing and stability testing and FDA-required drug safety testing in two different animal models before we can start testing the drug in patients.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110178
Entities
People
- Richard H Gomer
Organizations
- Texas A&M University
- United States Army