Research findings deepen the knowledge of A1M’s ability to neutralize toxic free hemoglobin

A scientific article published by scientists associated with A1M Pharma explains the process behind the protein A1M’s ability to neutralize free hemoglobin. The article has been approved for publishing in the scientific journal Biochim Biophys Acta (BBA) in January 2016 and is already available in their online version.

A1M Pharma is developing treatment for pre-eclampsia and acute kidney injury, two indications where the damaging effects of free hemoglobin play a vital part. It is the so-called heme groups of the hemoglobin that can damage the cells in the body, and the article explains how A1M can bind to two heme groups and break them down which neutralizes their toxic effect. The process is also demonstrated in images, depicting the protein A1M in a more perspicuous way than earlier studies.

The article is mainly written by A1M’s co-founder Bo Åkerström and Sigurbjörg Rutardottir who worked for A1M Pharma when the study was conducted.

– To understand how the process of A1M’s binding and breakdown of hemoglobin constituents works is of great importance to our development projects, so it is very inspiring to see how our scientists broaden the knowledge within this field, says A1M Pharma’s CEO, Tomas Eriksson.

More information about the article is available via the following link: http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1S0JS5bCYA6zBR

About A1M Pharma

A1M Pharma develops a diagnostic method and treatment for pre-eclampsia, a condition that affects around 10 million pregnant women worldwide each year. This disorder is responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year and it is the cause of 15 % of all premature births. Currently, there is no effective diagnostic method or curative treatment for impaired kidney function associated with pre-eclampsia. The only option is therefore to terminate pregnancy by inducing delivery which leads to premature infants and substantial health care costs. Several studies indicate that A1M Pharma’s candidate drug, the protein A1M (alpha-1-microglobulin), restores the impaired kidney function by repairing damaged tissue and protect against oxidative stress. New findings indicate that the cells within the heart are protected in a similar way. Apart from the connection with pre-eclampsia, kidney injury is a condition often accompanying major surgery and transplantation and the company is therefore also developing a treatment for the closely related indication acute kidney injury. Acute kidney injury that can lead to permanent kidney damage affects 12 million people every year.

For more information, please contact:

Tomas Eriksson, CEO of A1M Pharma AB
Email: te@a1m.se
Telephone: +46 46-286 50 30

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