ZyVersa’s IC 100 Reduced Inflammation in MS Mouse Model, Study Finds

IC 100, a monoclonal antibody by ZyVersa Therapeutics that prevents the assembly of inflammasomes — a pro-inflammatory cellular complex — lessened inflammation and halted disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study of mice shows.xa

The study, “IC100: a novel anti-ASC monoclonal antibody improves functional outcomes in an animal model of multiple sclerosis” was published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation.

MS is caused by the immune system attacking myelin — the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibers of the central nervous system (CNS, brain and spinal cord) — leading to its destruction.

As MS progresses, both the innate and adaptive immune system sustain an inflammatory response.

“Although great strides have been made over the last 20 years in commercializing disease-modifying drugs for MS, there is still a need for treatments that more effectively address relapsing and progressive forms of the disease,” Robert W. Keane, PhD, said in a press release. Keane is professor of physiology and biophysics, neurological surgery, microbiology, and immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and co-senior author of the study.

IC 100 is a monoclonal antibody that prevents the assembly of a multi-protein structure that signals and activates inflammatory responses, called inflammasome. IC 100 works by targeting the adaptor protein ASC, a key component of inflammasomes.

Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine wrote in the study that “targeting inflammasome activation via ASC inhibition may be a promising therapeutic strategy in MS.”  

To test their hypothesis, the researchers used the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model that recapitulates human MS disease, and assessed whether IC 100 reduced inflammation and prevented neuronal damage.

“The EAE model is the ‘go-to’ model in MS drug development. Many of the disease-modifying MS drugs used today were developed, tested or validated based on studies in this model,” said Stephen C. Glover, co-founder, CEO and president of ZyVersa Therapeutics.

Researchers tested three escalating doses of IC 100 — 10, 30 and 45 milligrams per kilogram of weight (mg/kg); they administered the doses every four days until day 35 after EAE induction.