When they agreed the idea had promise, they approached NIH for funding. He reached out to Patterson and they met for coffee to discuss a potential collaboration. The process takes effect in less than three minutes.Īdam Standley, vice president of R&D at Windgap, said he was researching alternative treatments for cyanide poisoning and wondering why a better solution didn't exist when he encountered the CDD researchers’ work. Sulfanegen provides the intermediate compound needed for this natural pathway to quickly convert cyanide into a far less toxic substance. The antidote was patented with assistance from UMN Technology Commercialization.Ĭompared to existing antidotes, sulfanegen takes advantage of a different process in the body-one that normally serves to break down a common amino acid found in many foods. The CDD and Windgap researchers’ efforts are focused on a faster-acting antidote called sulfanegen, which was recently developed and refined by Patterson as well as College of Pharmacy colleagues Robert Vince, PhD, director of the Center for Drug Design, and Herbert Nagasawa, PhD, adjunct professor. A Faster Treatment to Help More PeopleĬyanide antidotes on the market today require at least 15 minutes of an IV drip, limiting how many people first responders can treat before it’s too late. Those who survive the immediate effects of cyanide poisoning may still suffer from a long-term neurological disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease. The toxin acts quickly, killing cells in the body by preventing them from using oxygen, which can then cause convulsions, loss of consciousness, and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While workers in gold mines or laboratories, for example, may experience long-term health problems from repeated exposure to lower levels of cyanide, a fast-acting antidote is most important for disasters that suddenly expose victims to high concentrations of the chemical, such as through a chemical attack, building fires (where smoke inhalation brings cyanide into the body), or an industrial accident.Įvery second counts in these cases, and fast treatment can mean the difference between life and death. “It is clear that Windgap has the technology to develop such a device.” “We have long recognized that a device to deliver a cyanide antidote as rapidly and easily as epinephrine would be extremely useful,” Patterson said. While the US Department of Homeland Security identifies cyanide among the highest priority chemical threats, Steven Patterson, PhD, a professor in the CDD, said current antidotes aren’t well-suited for use in situations where many people are exposed to the chemical at once. The project is funded by a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s CounterACT program, which aims to prepare countermeasures against chemical threats that have the potential to be used as weapons. Researchers from the Center for Drug Design (CDD), College of Pharmacy, and Windgap, a Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company, are working together to develop an autoinjector that can be used on-scene to deliver a fast-acting antidote to cyanide victims. The new injection device will feature a dual-chamber design-a chamber for the liquid dissolution material and a chamber for the drug-to ensure the powdered drug remains optimally dry and shelf-stable for first responders.A new collaboration between the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Windgap Medical aims to give first responders the edge in saving victims of cyanide poisoning. The antidote quickly converts cyanide in the body into a less toxic compound. The current industry-standard cyanide treatment requires a person to be connected to an IV for 15 minutes, but the new autoinjector could deliver a single preloaded antidote dose of sulfanegen in under three minutes. Project leaders say the new device would significantly reduce the time it takes to administer an antidote. Patterson told TCB that the driving force of the project is to provide a medical counter to weaponized cyanide, but the device could also be used to treat industrial workers exposed to cyanide in manufacturing accidents or to treat fire victims exposed to cyanide through smoke inhalation. (The antidote, though patented, is still in pre-market development, too). “We have long recognized that a device to deliver a cyanide antidote as rapidly and easily as epinephrine would be extremely useful,” said Patterson, who led development of sulfanegen, the antidote that will be used with the device.
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