University of Limerick

Jakki Cooney

Todd Fumio Kagawa

Edmond Magner

Todd Kagawa

Brian Noonan

Senan Behan

Ruth Cullen

An isolated protease comprising a polypeptide having the structure is described: P-A-B5 in which P is a protease domain, A is an A-domain, and B is a B-domain, of a Group VII to XIII cell envelope protease (CEP), wherein the protease does not have a PA domain. An isolated protease according to Claim, selected from a wild-type Group VII to XIII cell envelope protease. The use of the protease as a medicament is treating immune dysregulation diseases is also described.

Treatment of immune dysregulation disorders

An apparatus for the extracorporeal treatment of blood comprising an extracorporeal blood circuit (), a pump () configured to provide fluid displacement within the extracorporeal blood circuit, and a reaction chamber () connected to the extracorporeal blood circuit and configured to receive blood or plasma from the circuit and treat the blood or plasma. The reaction chamber comprises an protease enzyme immobilized to a support, in which the protease enzyme is specific for, and capable of irreversibly cleaving, a human C5a present in the blood or plasma, wherein the abundance of the human C5a in the treated blood or plasma is less than that in the untreated blood or plasma. The apparatus finds utility in the extracorporeal treatment of blood from patients with inflammatory conditions, especially auto-immune disease and sepsis.

Apparatus for the extracorporeal treatment of blood

Growing community of inventors

Mallow, Ireland

Jakki Cooney