POEGMA-coated uricase as a PEG-free option for hard-to-treat gout
Official title: Scale-up and Toxicity Studies of POEGMA-Uricase
Funded at Gateway Bio, INC. · NIH-11174439 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is developing a PEG-free version of the enzyme uricase to help people with severe gout who don't respond to other treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Gateway Bio, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | July 16, 2020 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $639,413 |
| NIH project number | 5R44TR003255-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11174439 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future trials would be adults with chronic, treatment-refractory gout who are considered for uricase therapy but have had limited benefit or tolerability with current options.
✕Less likely to help
People with mild gout managed well on standard oral therapies or those whose joint problems are not driven by high uric acid are unlikely to benefit from this enzyme-focused approach.
What this research studies
You may know that some gout medicines are coated with PEG, which can cause allergic reactions or make the drugs stop working for some people. Gateway Bio is making and testing a new coating called POEGMA that aims to give uricase the same longer circulation time without triggering anti-PEG antibodies. The Phase II work focuses on scaling up manufacturing and running safety/toxicity studies (mainly preclinical) of POEGMA-uricase. If those tests go well, the company would be positioned to move toward human trials of a PEG-free uricase treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give people with treatment-refractory gout a longer-lasting enzyme treatment with fewer allergic reactions from PEG.
How similar studies have gone: PEGylated uricase (pegloticase) works for many people with refractory gout but is limited by anti-PEG antibodies, and POEGMA conjugation has shown promising preclinical results though it has not yet been tested in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Gateway Bio, INC.
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hucknall, Angus — Gateway Bio, INC.
- Study coordinator: Hucknall, Angus
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.