Renalase-boosting treatment for acute pancreatitis
Official title: Development of a novel renalase agonist for the treatment of acute pancreatitis
Funded at Bessor Pharma, LLC · NIH-11185528 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new medication that mimics the natural protein renalase to help people with acute pancreatitis by lowering inflammation, pain, and organ damage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Bessor Pharma, LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Framingham, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2016 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $903,732 |
| NIH project number | 2R44DK111251-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11185528 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with acute pancreatitis, especially those hospitalized early after symptom onset and at risk for severe disease, would be the most likely candidates for future trials.
✕Less likely to help
Those with chronic pancreatitis, mild self-resolving episodes, or abdominal pain from other causes are unlikely to benefit from this specific treatment.
What this research studies
This project is creating a medication that acts like renalase, a natural protein that can protect tissues and reduce inflammation. The company made a peptide called BP-1002 and an ELISA test to measure renalase levels, and animal studies show renalase falls during pancreatitis and giving RNLS or BP-1002 improves outcomes. The current work focuses on optimizing the compound, checking safety and dosing, and preparing the drug for possible human testing. If human trials proceed, they would likely target people early in an acute pancreatitis attack to see if the treatment reduces pain, organ failure, and hospital time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce the severity of attacks, shorten hospital stays, lower pain, and cut complications and deaths from acute pancreatitis.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical animal studies and measurements in patients show promise for renalase approaches, but therapies like BP-1002 have not yet been tested in human clinical trials.
Where this research is happening
-
Bessor Pharma, LLC
Framingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ohlstein, Eliot — Bessor Pharma, LLC
- Study coordinator: Ohlstein, Eliot
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Diabetes after acute pancreatitis: understanding and tracking progression
A patient-focused look at how diabetes can develop after an episode of acute pancreatitis, using data from a large, ongoing study and AI insights.
-
Continuation of Type 1 Diabetes in Acute Pancreatitis: UF Health and AdventHealth
A patient-facing overview of a long-term study tracking people with acute pancreatitis to understand how some develop type 1 diabetes later and what factors influence that process.
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Data Coordinating Center for Type 1 Diabetes in Acute Pancreatitis Consortium
A national effort to learn how pancreatitis-related Type 1 diabetes develops, by tracking patients and coordinating data to improve future care.
-
Diabetes after acute pancreatitis: a patient-focused network study
A program at Indiana University is studying how diabetes can develop after an acute pancreatitis episode, with new findings that could help doctors tailor care for adults who had pancreatitis.
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Type 1 Diabetes in Acute Pancreatitis in Diabetes Patients at Stanford
A Stanford-led project helps people with brittle type 1 diabetes who also experience pancreatitis by following them in a long-term study to understand how acute pancreatitis affects diabetes.
-
Epidemiology and causes of diabetes after acute pancreatitis
A long-term study following people who have had acute pancreatitis to understand how often diabetes develops, why it happens, and how it progresses.
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.