Antimicrobial Peptides for Treatment of Infectious and
Inflammatory Skin Conditions
Chitosan Injectable for Soft Tissue Augmentation
Ionic Contra Viral Therapy (ICVT) to Treat Non Mucosal HPV
Ionic Contra Viral Therapy (ICVT)
ICVT ( CLS003 ) is a proprietary combination of digoxin and furosemide under development to treat cutaneous warts topically without the pain associated with current procedures, such as cryotherapy and surgical removal. Both agents are well established drug products with a long history of systemic use.
It is believed that different DNA viruses are dependent upon potassium ions for replication, therefore, the controlled depletion of cellular potassium might elicit a broad spectrum of antiviral activity. Coupled cotransporters, such as sodium-potassium ATPase (NKATPase) and sodium-potassium-chloride ion cotransporter (NKCC), are important in the maintenance of potassium, sodium and chloride ion gradients across the plasma membrane and are fundamental in providing energy for several essential cellular functions, including the control of membrane potential and cell volume. The inhibitory effects that cardiac glycosides and loop diuretics have on coupled cotransporters are well known. Digoxin inhibits NKATPase, while furosemide inhibits NKCC1, thus, both drugs inhibit potassium ion influx.
CLS003 is designed to reduce the intracellular potassium levels in the host cell, which then may inhibit the replication of the human papilloma virus (HPV) associated with cutaneous warts, preventing the viral infection from spreading, and ultimately, eliminating the wart. In preliminary open label studies, a majority of the patients experienced clearance. Moreover, recurrence, which typically occurs with currently available wart treatments, was not reported, 18-24 months post-treatment.
We plan to investigate ICVT-based topical therapies in several different delivery forms that may provide a new approach to treating non-genital skin lesions associated with HPV. We also hope that topical ICVT may have utility in treating other DNA viral infections that manifest themselves in accessible tissues, including Molluscum Contagiosum.
