Need
Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in a tissue occurs when the blood flow is restored after an episode of limited or absent blood supply. Deprivation of oxygen (hypoxia) predisposes the tissue for complement-mediated attack after restoration of blood flow (reperfusion). IRI significantly contributes to the tissue damage in the case of myocardial infarction, stroke, and organ transplantations. In the case of myocardial infarction IRI could be responsible for up to 50% of infarct size leading to eventual death despite the coronary intervention.
Solution
Since the lectin pathway of the complement system plays a major role in IRI, inhibition of MASP-2 is a promising approach to treat or prevent this condition. In contrast to traditional immunosuppressive therapies, shutting down the lectin pathway does not lead to complete immunosuppression since the classical and the alternative complement pathways still provide protection against infections.
EvolVeritas has developed selective and efficient inhibitors against MASP-2 by directed protein evolution.