# Identification of lead compounds to topically treat sulfur mustard injury to reduce ocular damage and improve vision.

> **NIH NIH U01** · SYNEDGEN, INC. · 2020 · $321,965

## Abstract

Project Summary: Sulfur Mustard (SM) has been employed as a chemical weapon, and
production and use of SM in unstable regions heightens the risk that this agent could be used in
a deliberate terrorist attack against civilians causing mass casualties or against military personnel.
The ocular surface is uniquely susceptible to SM resulting in corneal lesions, edema, ulcerations,
neovascularization and vision loss. The recommended treatment for ocular SM injury is removal
of remaining agent using an eye wash, followed with topical treatments with antibiotics,
corticosteroids (anti-inflammatory agents), analgesics and artificial tears. However, a need
remains for products that improve healing times, reduce vision loss, and prevent the latent
keratitis Further, there are currently no US Food and Drug Administration approved drugs for SM
induced ocular injuries to improve healing and reduce vision loss.
Synedgen has developed a class of non-toxic polyglucosamine derivatives with the ability to
suppress inflammation, reduce infection, and improve healing at mucosal surfaces. This effort will
study five molecules from the polyglucosamine derivatives library. The molecules are
hypothesized to act directly at the corneal surface after SM exposure to reduce the activation of
downstream inflammation after primary injury, consequently reducing secondary damage, edema,
neovascularization and vision loss. The molecules will be synthesized, validated and compared
in in vitro screens to assess activity in wound healing and inflammatory pathways shown to
correlate in vitro activity with in vivo physiologic response in SM corneal injury. The most
efficacious molecule will be selected from these in vitro screens as the lead compound and
produced at a larger scale and with a fluorescein label. Ocular residency times, distribution and
tolerability in rabbits will be assessed prior to a proof-of-concept preliminary study with SM ocular
exposure. The SM dose and exposure time will be selected to reflect a biphasic injury that results
in longer term neovascularization and fibrosis. Multiple doses of the lead compound will be tested
along with observations of in-life clinical outcomes, histopathology, immunohistopathology, gene
expression and protein expression. Should the lead compound be biologically efficacious,
additional dosing and administration efficacy studies on different SM exposures as well as
preclinical safety/toxicity studies will be performed in anticipation of a continued drug development
program for FDA approval.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10019558
- **Project number:** 5U01EY030406-02
- **Recipient organization:** SYNEDGEN, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Shenda Baker
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $321,965
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10019558

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10019558, Identification of lead compounds to topically treat sulfur mustard injury to reduce ocular damage and improve vision. (5U01EY030406-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10019558. Licensed CC0.

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