Roth, a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Basic Sciences Division, received five years of "no-strings-attached" support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for his pioneering research in basic biology. Most notably, his research has pioneered reversible metabolic hibernation -- a finding that may have clinical benefits in humans.
"Mark is an extraordinarily talented scientist, as well as a great friend and colleague to the Ikaria team," said Ikaria Chairman and CEO David Shaw. "We are very pleased that the MacArthur Foundation recognized the importance of Mark's groundbreaking research through this prestigious award. We look forward to making the benefits of this research available to patients in the future."
In April 2005, Roth demonstrated the ability of the biological gas hydrogen sulfide to induce a state of reversible metabolic hibernation in mice, which may be a latent ability in all mammals. Temporary slowing of the metabolic rate, or inducing hibernation on demand, has the potential to lengthen the window of time that patients with trauma, stroke, cardiac arrest or surgery can be treated. In addition to increasing the time that transplant organs or tissues are viable outside the body, this expanded time window could help prevent injury and death from insufficient or inappropriate oxygen supply to organs and tissues.
Ikaria has submitted regulatory documents for hydrogen sulfide as an experimental drug. The company is expected to start a Phase I trial later this year.
The MacArthur Fellowship Program recognizes talented individuals who have shown exceptional originality and dedication in their creative pursuits. Its purpose is to invest in a person's "originality, insight, and potential," enabling recipients to exercise their own creative instincts for the benefit of human society. Since its start in 1981, the program has named 756 Fellows, including Roth, who was among the 24 recipients announced this week.
About Ikaria Holdings
Ikaria Holdings is a fully integrated biotherapeutics company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative in-hospital pharmaceutical products and drug/device combinations that improve the lives of patients. The company's INOmax(R) product (inhaled nitric oxide) is an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in newborns, and is extensively used in critical settings in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Ikaria has a staff of over 300 people and is headquartered in Clinton, N.J., with research facilities in Seattle and Madison, Wis., and manufacturing in Port Allen, La. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.ikaria.com.
To view a related press release from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, visit http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/news/2007/09/25/roth.html
For more information on the MacArthur Fellowship Program, visit http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.855229/k.63D6/Macarthur_Founda tio n_Home.htm
