RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Arrevus Inc. (www.arrevus.com), a biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutics for orphan or serious indications, received two grants totaling $800,000 in support of its novel chaperone protein inhibitor, ARV-1502. The NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a $300,000 grant to investigate the activity of ARV-1502 for the treatment of sepsis and the Department of Defense’s U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command has awarded a $500,000 grant to investigate ARV-1502 for the acceleration of wound healing.

Both indications are associated with a very high unmet medical need. Sepsis and burn wounds represent complex and serious diseases.

• 30% of US in-hospital deaths are sepsis-related
• Gram-negative bacterial-associated wounds result in > 40% increase in mean number of ICU days and 75% greater number of surgical procedures. These challenges result in slow and poor recovery of our wounded military personnel.

“The clinical utility of engineered host defense peptides, such as ARV-1502, is a fertile area for development for both the commercial and military markets. We are thrilled to be working closely with both the University of Florida’s Sepsis And Critical Illness Research Center and the University of Miami’s Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery to further characterize the potential of ARV-1502. As we have so clearly learned from the current pandemic, infectious disease is not merely a “drug / bug” story but must integrate the host response into the healing equation. Thus far, it seems that ARV-1502 may provide support for both pathogen elimination and improving the immune response to these clinical challenges,” commented Dr. Carl N. Kraus, M.D., Founder and CEO of Arrevus.

About ARV-1502
Arrevus is pioneering a novel approach to infections, sepsis and wound healing through the development of Designer Proline-rich Chaperone protein inhibitors (DPCs), with the lead compound being ARV-1502. ARV-1502 has been shown to have antimicrobial activity by inhibiting the bacterial chaperone protein, DnaK, as well as suppress inflammation in multiple infectious disease animal models. ARV-1502 has also been shown to accelerate healing in both infected and uninfected wounds using various animal wound models.

About Arrevus
Arrevus develops novel therapeutics for orphan and serous diseases. Arrevus is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. For more information about Arrevus Inc., visit www.arrevus.com or email info@arrevus.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200529005015/en/