A Dose-Escalating Phase I Study to Evaluate the Safety, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Intravenous OPL-CCL2-LPM in Patients With IgA Nephropathy

In spite of adequate blood pressure control and diet, 30 percent of patients with IgA nephropathy continue to secrete large amounts of protein in the urine and have a high likelihood of progressing to end-stage renal disease over 5-10 years and eventually requiring dialysis or kidney transplant. In IgA nephropathy, the injured kidney tissue secretes a messenger that recruits white blood cells (leukocytes) into the kidney. This messenger is the chemokine, CCL2. As a consequence CCL2 also is excreted into the urine and can be measured as evidence of inflammation in the kidney. This study evaluates the safety of a new potential therapy,CCL2-LPM (leukocyte population modulator), for IgA nephropathy. CCL2-LPM is composed of the messenger chemokine, CCL2, fused to an enzyme that inhibits protein production by the leukocytes and prevents the leukocytes from migrating into the kidney. The CCL2 end of the molecule targets only a small subset of leukocytes that have the corresponding receptor for CCL2 on the surface. After CCL2 binds to its receptor it is drawn inside the cell and carries the enzyme into the cell. The targeted cells are prevented from entering the kidney and causing further damage. Thus, CCL2-LPM may interrupt the ongoing cycle of inflammation that leads to end-stage renal disease.