By: Shawn Lawrence
Innovator
Asmacure:
Using nicotinic agonists to treat asthma
N
icotine is one of the most addictive drugs in the world, reviled as a villain because of its association with smoking and addiction. However, nicotine in freebase form has been proven to have remarkable therapeutic effects and in some cases the ability to alleviate symptoms. The trick has been to find ways to mimic these positive therapeutic effects without the drawbacks of its addictive properties. In the course of his pulmonology and respiratory practice, internationally recognized pulmonologist Dr. Yvon Cormier was intrigued by the effects of smoking on his patients with pulmonary issues. Specifically he observed that a number of patients in his practice remarked to him that smoking would actually often alleviate their symptoms. Clinical data out at the time suggested that smokers actually had a lower rate of inflammatory disease, including hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a pulmonary disease caused by an increased immune response to inhaled antigens. Recognizing this puzzling association, Dr. Cormier sought to understand the role of nicotine in inflammation and he began studying nicotinic receptors. From his research, he concluded that there were benefits of nicotinic receptor agonists for inflammatory diseases, specifically in treating asthma. Again, the trick would be developing a product that would target nicotinic receptors, but without the side effects or addictive properties of nicotine. With that in mind, Dr. Cormier founded Asmacure in 2002 with the help of Evelyne Israël Assayag. By 2007, the company had selected its lead compound ASM-024, a novel molecular entity. Almost a decade after the creation of the company, ASM-024 has demonstrated activity in pre-clinical in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models of inflammation and asthma, including in mice, dogs and human cells and pulmonary tissue in pre-clinical trial. The results from these trials have also suggested that the nicotinic agonists are able to regulate both inflammation and bronchoconstriction, two important components of this disease constituting a new interesting approach for the treatment of asthma. Martin Driscoll, the newly appointed CEO for Asmacure, explained this exciting technology and what differentiates it from nicotine and potentially from current treatments for asthma. “We’re optimistic that we may have a unique compound, our molecules are derivatives of nicotinic receptors and are designed specifically not to cross the blood-brain barrier. They are designed to avoid any of the addictive properties and that has been the case thus far in our studies,” he said. Moreover, Driscoll believes ASM-024 offers new hope for asthma sufferers because it is an entirely new approach to treating the disease. “There is definitely a need for new therapeutic approaches to the disease as current treatments have hardly changed over the past 10 to 15 years. Many asthma sufferers have to rely on a combination of therapies to control their exacerbations.” 16 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS NOVEMBER 2011
