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Our first antibody product candidates target fibrotic disease, particularly chronic kidney disease. The monoclonal antibody PAb-W4 has been shown to be effective in the short-term mouse unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model of tubulointerstitial fibrosis, performed in Quark. For full POC, which we expect to achieve in Q2 2007, we are performing the long term 5/6 nephrectomy model of chronic renal failure.Chronic renal failure is a slowly progressive, gradual loss of kidney function. It can range from mild dysfunction to severe kidney failure and may continue to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Chronic renal failure usually occurs over a number of years as the internal structures of the kidney are slowly damaged. Chronic renal failure and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) affect more than two out of 1000 people in the United States. Each year in the United States over 340,000-400,000 people undergo dialysis at a cost of $16 billion. And each year, 25,000 to 30,000 new patients join their ranks. If the trends of the past two decades persist, approximately 175,000 new cases of ESRD will be diagnosed in the USA in 2010 and the Medicare cost for ESRD will reach $28.3 billion.
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