CHIMEROCYTE INC — Department of Defense STTR Phase II: A20B-T028

Description

The goal of this work is to test the hypothesis that prophylactic administration of oral iodide reduces soldier and civilian mortality resulting from subsequent injury and infection while improving performance and readiness. In phase I we determined the blood levels of iodide in people that were subjected to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) due to rapid transition from sea level to 17,000 feet of elevation in 1 day and found that those with higher levels of blood iodide were more resistant to AMS. We also found that these people had increased VO2 max and hemoglobin content. To test whether increase blood iodide can cause increased survival from stress we conducted a lethal mouse model of viral respiratory infection and found that prophylactic administration of iodide in the diet both increased blood iodide levels and dramatically improved survival. We also found that this same increase in blood levels of iodide improved outcome from a mouse model of trauma. Based on these findings we propose in Phase II to do the necessary work required to file an investigational new drug application (IND) with the FDA necessary to begin clinical studies testing oral sodium iodide as a drug to treat influenza and further observational studies in soldiers that could form the foundation for additional indications for the use of our oral sodium iodide product.