A new study has discovered two compounds that could help in reducing inflammation associated with diseases such as ulcerative colitis, arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
The compounds, dubbed OD36 and OD38, specifically appear to curtail inflammation-triggering signals from RIPK2 (serine/threonine/tyrosine kinase 2). RIPK2 is an enzyme that activates high-energy molecules to prompt the immune system to respond with inflammation.
In this research project, investigators applied state-of-the-art genetic sequencing to learn the unique set of genes driven specifically by NOD2 proteins.
They ultimately zeroed in on three specific NOD2-driven inflammation genes (SLC26a, MARCKSL1, and RASGRP1) that guided investigators in finding the most effective compounds.
Derek Abbott, associate professor of pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, said that based on the design of OD36 and OD38, they have developed with Oncodesign fifth-generation compounds that are even more effective than the first-generation OD36 and OD38.
The next step would be to seek a larger pharmaceutical company that could move these compounds forward into Phase 1 clinical trials in humans, he further added.
The study is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
