NAC biliary drug eluting stent

• Category: Pharma
• Investment Status: Pre-Seed
• Medical Field: Nephrology
• Patent Status: provisional
• Development Status: in vivo studies
• Medical Center: Shneider Children's Medical Center

• Inventors: Dr. Orit Waisbourd-Zinman
  

Cholangiopathies, or bile duct diseases, are group of liver diseases in which progressive inflammation and scarring of bile ducts occur. Since there is no effective treatment to these conditions, liver transplantation is ultimately required due to end stage liver failure. The major cholangiopathies are (1) Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), (2) Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) and (3) Bile duct strictures following liver transplantation, which require endoscopic dilation.

Cholangiopathies have no effective treatment, and new therapies are urgently needed. Despite the slow rate of progression of bile duct diseases, affected individuals ultimately require liver transplantation.

Our solution is a drug eluting biliary stent with sustained release of NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine). We found that NAC repairs bile duct damage in mouse model when given locally in high concentrations.