Biogen Starts Trials Of Gelsolin For Respiratory Disease

Biogen has started a Phase I clinical trial in the UK of gelsolin, a potential treatment for certain obstructive respiratory diseases. The trial is being conducted at a single site in the UK in healthy volunteers.

Gelsolin is a recombinant form of a natural actin-severing agent that is thought to work by reducing airway mucus viscosity in patients with respiratory diseases like cystic fibrosis and chronic bronchitis. Actin is released when cells die, for example during infections, and can increase the viscosity of mucus. This can cause severe respiratory problems in patients already compromised by respiratory disease.

Gelsolin could be a competitor to Genentech's recombinant DNase product Pulmozyme (dornase alfa), which also thins mucus. Pulmozyme is already marketed for CF but was found to be ineffective in chronic bronchitis (Marketletters passim).