TORONTO, May 22, 2026
Arch Biopartners announced that Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) in British Columbia has dosed its first patient in the company’s ongoing Phase II clinical trial evaluating LSALT peptide as a potential treatment to prevent cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI) in patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery. The milestone marks continued expansion of the multi-center Canadian study as Arch Biopartners advances development of its kidney-protection therapy program.
Royal Columbian Hospital becomes the fourth Canadian clinical site actively dosing patients in the randomized Phase II study, joining Toronto General Hospital, St. Michael’s Hospital, and the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.
LSALT Peptide Targets Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery
The Phase II trial is evaluating whether LSALT peptide can reduce the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) following cardiac surgery involving heart-lung bypass machines. AKI remains one of the most common and serious complications after major cardiac procedures, often resulting in longer hospital stays, dialysis requirements, chronic kidney complications, and increased mortality risk.
The ongoing study is designed as a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a target enrollment of 240 patients. Researchers are measuring the percentage of participants who develop AKI within seven days after surgery based on internationally recognized KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria.
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Arch Biopartners CEO Richard Muruve stated that the addition of Royal Columbian Hospital represents another important step toward advancing the company’s clinical objectives and validating LSALT peptide as a potential therapy capable of reducing AKI rates, dialysis needs, and long-term kidney damage following cardiac surgery.
The company also confirmed that discussions are ongoing with additional cardiac surgery centers in both Canada and the United States to further expand recruitment and increase clinical awareness of the LSALT peptide program. Current feasibility discussions reportedly include four prospective U.S. trial sites and another potential Canadian site in Ontario.
Growing Need for AKI Prevention Therapies
Cardiac surgery-associated AKI is a major unmet medical challenge in cardiovascular and critical care medicine. Despite advances in surgical techniques and perioperative management, patients undergoing on-pump cardiac procedures remain at substantial risk for postoperative kidney injury caused by inflammation, ischemia, and toxin-related damage.
Currently, treatment options for AKI are largely supportive, with no widely approved targeted drug therapies available specifically to prevent kidney injury following cardiac surgery. Severe AKI can lead to dialysis dependency, chronic kidney disease progression, or the need for kidney transplantation in some patients.
Arch Biopartners is developing LSALT peptide as part of a broader strategy focused on novel therapeutics targeting both acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The company’s research programs are centered on inflammation-related and toxin-mediated kidney injury pathways, areas that continue to attract increasing attention in nephrology drug development.
Royal Columbian Hospital Expands Trial Reach
Royal Columbian Hospital, located in New Westminster, British Columbia, operates as part of Fraser Health, one of Canada’s largest regional healthcare systems serving more than two million people. The hospital provides advanced tertiary care services including cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, neurosurgery, and trauma care, making it a strategically important addition to the Phase II study network.
The expansion of enrollment sites is expected to support patient recruitment timelines and strengthen the overall dataset generated from the ongoing trial. Arch Biopartners continues positioning LSALT peptide within the growing global market for kidney-protective therapies, where demand remains high due to the lack of approved targeted prevention options for surgery-related AKI.The clinical trial is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05879432.
Source: Arch Biopartners, press release
