Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease with Synthetic Amphipathic Peptides

The invention is directed to treatment of chronic kidney disease by administering a synthetic, amphipathic helical peptide known as 5A-37pA, and novel derivatives thereof. Scientists at NIDDK have demonstrated that invention peptides antagonize activity of a particular scavenger receptor known as CD36. Using an in vivo model, NIDDK scientists have shown that invention peptides slowed progression of chronic kidney disease and can potentially be utilized as a therapeutic treatment.

Additionally, certain invention peptides bind selectively to CD36 with high specificity over other homologous scavenger receptors. Thus, invention peptides can be utilized as a research tool to further evaluate the complex etiology of chronic kidney disease.

5A-37pA, and derivatives thereof, are peptide mimetic of apolipoprotein A-1. These peptides have been described in NIH owned patents and/or patent applications (see, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 7,572,771 and 8,071,746 and 8,148,323). Use of these peptides, as well as the novel peptides of this invention, for the treatment of kidney diseases is currently available for licensing.