Novel Anti-LPA Antibody for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There are 1.7 million cases of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) per year in the U.S. with 125,000 having permanent disability. To date, there are no FDA-approved drugs for treating TBI. Lpath, Inc. has developed a novel anti-LPA (lysophosphatidic acid) antibody therapeutic that holds great promise as a treatment for TBI patients. LPA is an endogenous bioactive lipid that has been very well studied. The literature clearly shows that LPA (i) has widespread developmental, physiological and pathological actions, (ii) controls events within the nervous, reproductive, gastrointestinal, and vascular systems, and (iii) plays a prominent role in cancer, mammalian embryogenesis and stem-cell biology. In the CNS, LPA is synthesized byastrocytes, choroid plexus epithelial cells and inflammatory cells and is released upon cell activation. Its concentration within the brain increases during inflammation, clotting and neurotrauma, at which time it likely potentiates its known roles in