BIO-11006 is an investigational 10-amino acid peptide that inhibits the phosphorylation of the MARCKS protein. The MARCKS protein (myristoylated alanine rich protein kinase C substrate) is a substrate for protein kinase C. It is localized on the plasma membrane, and is an actin filament crosslinking protein. If phosphorylated by protein kinase C or binded to a calcium complex, the association with actin and with the plasma membrane is blocked, leading to its presence in the cytoplasm. Researchers believe that the MARCKS protein is involved in cell movement, phagocytosis, mitogenesis and membrane trafficking.
The peptide is being developed by Biomarck Pharmaceuticals as a potential treatment for COPD.
Studies of BIO-11006
A study was conducted in mouse models that develop a type of inflammation that resembles asthma. Researchers have shown that these mice produce mucin in response to stimulation with ovalbumin, and that pretreatment with BIO-11006 reduced the mucin hypersecretion.
A Phase 2 study (NCT00648245) assessed the effectiveness and safety of BIO-11006 inhalation solution in treating overproduction of mucus and inflammation in COPD. A study published in the journal Pharmacology in 2016 noted the treatment’s clinical potential based on this trial, but also reported that while “Bio-11006 … [a MARCKS inhibitor] reduced mucus hypersecretion in airway cells of COPD patients and improved their lung function … this study has a comparatively small sample size (n = 172) and the treatments (Bio-11006 or half-normal saline as the control) were administered to patients only for 21 days, which is an insufficient period to analyse the effects of a long-term disease, such as asthma and COPD or to identify true side effects.”
Overproduction of mucus compromises lung function and allows for the growth of bacteria that causes COPD exacerbations. BIO-11006 inhalation solution may work to prevent mucus overproduction, and for this reason have important anti-inflammatory properties.
As other studies have noted, mucus production is a central feature of lung health.But excessive mucus secretion and chronic cough are the features of the chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and mucus accumulation in COPD affects lung function, health-related quality of life, and disease flares that lead to hospitalization and risk death.
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