Mass High Tech - September 3, 2008

Non-surgical emphysema treatment nails Phase 2 trials
Mass High Tech

Woburn-based Aeris Therapeutics Inc. has completed Phase 2 clinical trials of its Biologic Lung Volume Reduction (BLVR) system for treating advanced emphysema. The results, the company said, have shown improvements in breathing, and now the company is planning for Phase 3 clinical trials.

The system, an alternative to lung volume reduction surgery, delivers bioabsorbable gel that ultimately collapses diseased lung areas, helping the healthy lung parts function more effectively.

The Phase 2 trial consisted of a test on 44 patients already diagnosed with upper lobe predominant emphysema. Three months after treatment, Aeris reported more than half the patients taking high doses of treatment had improved breathing ability, measured with the residual volume to total lung capacity ratio. BLVR also enabled a two-day median hospital stay, compared to a 10-day median hospital stay that follows an open-chest lung volume reduction surgery.

Privately-held Aeris Therapeutics was founded in 2000 by Dr. Edward Ingenito, a member of the pulmonary division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He owns the patents for the company’s core technique. The company’s early funding came from Rosse Enterprises Ltd., a Boston venture fund.