UIC-2018-090 and UIC-2018-077 – Novel Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase Inhibitors as Potential Therapeutics for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a rare, progressive disorder characterized by high blood pressure (hypertension) in the arteries of the lungs (pulmonary artery).10,000 to 20,000 patients live with this disease in the US and Approximately 500-1000 new cases of PAH are diagnosed each year in the U.S.The exact cause of PAH is unknown and although treatable, there is no known cure for the disease. UIC Solution How: UIC inventors identified a cytozyme – nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) – that presents elevated levels in patients suffering from PAH and contributes to pulmonary vascular remodeling What: UIC inventors propose two series of compounds as novel NAMPT enzyme inhibitors to treat PAH. Why: These compounds were screened and found to exhibit in vitro NAMPT inhibition with IC50 values as low as 26 nM in CycLex colormetric assay Nelson Grihalde grihalde@otm.uic.edu 312-996-4129