Sangart

Sangart, Inc. was a privately held biopharmaceutical company founded in 1998 by Dr. Robert Winslow, a recognized authority in the field of oxygen transport. The company focused on developing and commercializing oxygen therapeutics as alternatives to blood transfusions. Based in San Diego, Sangart's core mission revolved around addressing the significant need for safe and effective agents to improve oxygen transport in clinical settings like surgery and trauma. Dr. Winslow's two decades of prior research, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, led to patented discoveries about the mechanisms of oxygen transport by cell-free hemoglobin solutions, which formed the company's technological foundation.

The company's business was centered on its proprietary MP4 platform, which involved modifying human hemoglobin with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to create molecules capable of carrying and delivering gases. This technology led to two main investigational products. The first was MP4OX, an oxygen therapeutic designed to transport oxygen to tissues at risk of ischemia, or oxygen deprivation, particularly in patients suffering from traumatic hemorrhagic shock. The second product was MP4CO, which was developed to deliver therapeutic levels of carbon monoxide to treat vaso-occlusive crises in patients with sickle cell disease. Sangart's business model was to advance these products through clinical trials to gain regulatory approval and commercialize them, targeting a market with no similar approved oxygen transport agents in Europe or the United States at the time.

Over its 15-year history, Sangart raised substantial capital, totaling over $280 million, with Leucadia National Corporation becoming its primary investor, eventually owning 97% of the company. A significant milestone was the advancement of its first lead product, Hemospan, into Phase III clinical trials for elective orthopedic surgery patients. Later, the focus shifted to the MP4 platform. MP4OX entered Phase IIb clinical trials involving hundreds of trauma patients across numerous countries. However, in 2013, the pivotal Phase IIb trial for MP4OX failed to meet its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement in patient survival after 28 days. Following this clinical trial failure and the inability to secure further substantial funding, Sangart ceased operations around November 2013. The company, which had been led by CEO Brian O'Callaghan since his appointment in 2009, was ultimately acquired by Jefferies Financial Group (formerly Leucadia National Corp.) at the end of 2012.

Keywords: Sangart, biopharmaceutical, oxygen therapeutics, blood substitute, MP4 platform, MP4OX, MP4CO, Hemospan, hemorrhagic shock, sickle cell disease, ischemia, oxygen transport, hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier, clinical trials, Robert Winslow, Leucadia National, trauma therapy, drug development, pegylated hemoglobin, critical care medicine