Mast Therapeutics announces new data supporting MST-188 in sickle cell disease

ESR, a common laboratory test and measure of inflammation, describes the rate at which red blood cells (RBC) travel through anti-coagulated blood. When an inflammatory process is present, the high proportion of proteins in the blood, such as fibrinogen, cause RBC to form aggregates, increasing viscosity and impairing microvascular blood flow.

Data from the study were presented at the 8th Annual Sickle Cell Disease Research & Educational Symposium, currently underway in Miami.

Mast Therapeutics development senior vice president Dr Martin Emanuele noted that patients suffering vaso-occlusive crisis experience an inflammatory state where cells, proteins, and other molecules increasingly adhere to each other and blood vessel walls, resulting in physical ‘log jams’ that obstruct blood flow, cause severe pain, and accelerate organ damage and failure.

"Reducing RBC aggregation may be integral to restoring normal blood flow to tissue. The data from this study are consistent with observations in prior studies that MST-188 decreases blood viscosity and RBC aggregation and improves microvascular blood flow, and supportive of the potential for MST-188 to shorten the duration of sickle cell crisis.

"It is widely understood that multiple biological processes contribute to vaso-occlusion and that an effective solution requires a broad, multi-modal approach rather than a single targeted therapy. In addition to the effects on RBC aggregation, our data suggest that MST-188 addresses cell adhesion and platelet activation, reduces hemolysis, lowers blood viscosity and limits reperfusion injury following restoration of blood flow.

"We plan to conduct additional studies that will augment the growing body of data supporting the broad utility of MST-188 as a multi-modal approach to treating sickle cell disease," Dr Emanuele added.