After Johns Hopkins researchers created and screened a library of 45,000 new compounds containing chemical elements of commonly administered immune system suppressants, they discovered one that might prevent reperfusion, a frequent complication of surgery, heart attack and stroke that can cause tissue and organ damage. The problem often occurs when surgical clamps are removed from vessels and oxygenated blood rushes back into and shocks the tissues. The same can occur when clogged arteries are surgically unblocked after stroke and heart attack.
The newly discovered compound, which the team named rapadocin, is awaiting patents and has been licensed to biotechnology company Rapafusyn Pharmaceuticals, which was co-founded by the study’s leader, Jun O. Liu, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology and oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The researchers noted that rapadocin cannot be commercialized or used medically until additional safety and benefit studies take place in humans.
