Research strategy
Product pipeline
The most advanced projects in our current product pipeline includes three
small molecule PPI inhibitors for IL6, IgE and VEGF interactions with their receptors. We also have rights to the use of
a novel protein expression technology that may provide cost of goods advantages over existing systems.
(1) Small molecule IL-6 inhibitor
IL-6 is a crucial cytokine involved in the onset and progression of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and cachexia. In many inflammatory diseases, the IL-6 system is hyperactive and inihibiting IL-6 results in improvement of disease symptoms. An antibody product against IL-6 receptor was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Wefare in Japan for the treatment of Castleman disease, in which abberant IL-6 production causes abnormal lymphocyte growth and consequently patients develop severe inflammatory symptoms. A regulatory application was filed for the indication of rheumatoid arthritis in 2006 in Japan. Worldwide clinical trials have been in progress and clinical data has shown that inhibiting the IL-6 system is very efficacious for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Interprotein has identified several classes of small molecule compounds that inhibit the PPI of IL-6 system. We are in collaboration with Evotec to conduct Hit-to-Lead optimisation.
(2) Small molecule IgE inhibitor
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) was discovered in 1966 by Dr. Kimishige Ishizaka and Dr.Teruko Ishizaka. IgE is known to trigger allergic response in the body. Many attempts to create low molecular weight inhibitors for the IgE system have been made by pharmaceutical comapanies but none has succeeded in identifying effective molecules. Recently an anti-IgE antibody, Omalizumab, has been launched for the indication of severe asthma.
With our creative method of drug design, we have identified novel drug scaffolds that potentially inhibit PPI of the IgE system.
(3) Small molecule VEGF inhibitor
Recent advances in cancer biology revealed that tumor cells grow new vessels around their microenvironment in order to obtain oxygen and nutrition through these vessels. VEGF plays a major role in this new vessel development, known as tumor angiogenesis. One tactic to eradicate tumors is to cut this pathway to starve tumor cells. VEGF antibodies showed strong suppression of tumor-angigogenesis in anti-tumor therapy models, and this efficacy has been clinically confirmed with Bevacizumab. Following this success, many small molecule inhibitors for VEGF receptor kinase have been identified and some of them have received regulatory approvals. Our challenge is to bring small molecule inhibiting PPI of VEGF signal to the patients suffering various types of tumors. Unlike other VEGF receptor inhibitors that inhibit nonspecific kinases, our product specifically block the PPI in the VEGF system. We have successfully identified molecules by in silico drug design that inhibit VEGF signaling.
(4) Cold sensitive enhancer for protein production
Professor Jun Fujita, Kyoto University discovered cold inducible enhancer elements, enhancer of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (Cirp), that works in brain and testis. This is the first cold sensitive enhancer discovered in mammalian cells. Professor Fujita developed the enhancer element to be applied for industrial purpose. The Cirp enhancer improves production of recombinant proteins and consequently we can reduce cost of goods which are major issues for biological product manufacturers. Together with other projects, we believe that we can provide the world with drugs and technologies at a reduced cost through this new technology.
