The Mosanna solution

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Shifting from mechanical intervention to restoration of a natural reflex

Introducing the patient-friendly, non-invasive alternative that’s reimagining the way obstructive sleep apnea is treated.

Mosanna is focused on developing a pharmaceutical therapy for sleep apnea that works by reactivating the body’s natural airway reflex—just science that aligns with human physiology.

Simply using a nasal spray before bedtime, Mosanna’s therapy targets the muscles responsible for maintaining an open airway. These muscles work in the awake state to keep the airway open, but fail to adequately maintain patency during sleep. This leads to obstructive sleep apnea, which is defined as intermittent recurrent episodes of apnea (complete reduction of airflow) and hypopnea (partial reduction of airflow) causing low levels of oxygen.

Our therapy is designed to solve this problem directly by offering a non-intrusive alternative in a space long dominated by external interventions.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) facts

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition characterized by repeated obstruction of the upper airway during sleep, leading to complete (apnea) or partial (hypopnea) reduction of airflow.

  • Recent studies estimate more than 80M people suffer from OSA in the US alone and more than 900M worldwide.1
  • Despite being a highly prevalent disorder, the majority of OSA patients remain undiagnosed.2
  • OSA results in many life-limiting daily symptoms, including: excessive daytime sleepiness, diminished productivity, mood swings, depression, headaches, and sexual dysfunction.3
  • OSA has been shown to be an independent risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, coronary disease, stroke, and mortality.3

1 Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis. Benjafield, Adam V et al. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Volume 7, Issue 8, 687-698

2 AASM Hidden Health Crisis Costing America Billions. Published 2016 https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/sleep-apnea-economic-crisis.pdf

3 https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24443-obstructive-sleep-apnea-osa

80M

More than 80M people suffer from OSA in the U.S. alone, and more than 900M worldwide.

Our technology

Mosanna is developing MOS118, a medicine that stimulates the upper airway dilator muscles for the treatment of OSA that can be delivered by a patient-friendly nasal spray before bedtime.

When we exhale, our airway experiences negative pressure. To avoid collapse, pressure-sensing nerves in the upper airway inform the part of the brain responsible for the respiratory process. Signals are then sent to the muscles involved in upper airway dilation, causing them to tighten and keep the airway open.

This process is called the Negative Pressure Reflex (NPR) and it is continually active without our conscious awareness.

Facts & findings:

1

The importance of these pressure-sensing nerves has been demonstrated in humans, by using lidocaine to anesthetize the nerves—resulting in worsening of OSA, an increase in snoring, and reduced electromyography activity of the major upper airway muscle.4

2

Research shows OSA patients have lower airway dilator muscle activity during sleep apnea events compared to periods of stable breathing. This reinforces the concept of airway muscle activation as a target for the treatment of sleep apnea.5

3

MOS-118 is a small molecule pan-K+ channel inhibitor that has been shown to activate pressure-sensing nerves in the nasopharynx—increasing upper airway muscle tone and reducing apnea and hypopnea episodes.

4

MOS-118 is formulated as a unique microparticle suspension for nasal administration at bedtime for relief throughout the night.

4 https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.200412-1631SO#:~:text=There%20are%20three%20primary%20neural,motoneurons%20%2832%2C%2033%29

5 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2705920/#:~:text=SUMMARY,and%20neural%20control%20is%20needed. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.7090