Deltagen Announces New Therapeutic Target From Its Inflammatory Disease Program
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Deltagen, Inc. (Nasdaq: DGEN - news) announced today its second potential therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases. Designated as DT031I, this target has shown promise in animal models of Crohn's disease, one of the most prevalent forms of inflammatory bowel disease.
The therapeutic potential of DT031I, a G protein-coupled receptor, was discovered through Deltagen's Target Research and Development program, a powerful systems biology approach to drug discovery. DT031I is expressed on a number of leukocyte subsets, including those that play significant roles as effector cells in inflammatory responses.
Using a chemically inducible model for Crohn's disease, Deltagen researchers observed that mice deficient in DT031I presented a significantly improved clinical outcome versus the control group. This improved response included a more rapid recovery upon withdrawal of disease inducing reagent and significantly improved bowel function and survival. Histological analysis of the large intestine showed that knockout animals resisted the disease-associated organ damage seen in the control group undergoing the same challenge. Furthermore, infiltration of intestinal tissue by immune effector cells was significantly reduced in the knockout animals.
Deltagen also found that antagonism of DT031I renders mice resistant to cutaneous (skin) inflammation due to irritant compounds. Using a model for irritant contact dermatitis, Deltagen researchers found the DT031I knockout mice did not demonstrate specific inflammation, while a significant inflammatory response was seen in the control group.
"DT031I is an excellent example of the potential of our inflammatory disease program. This program has rapidly matured and we are encouraged about the opportunities in a broad range of immune diseases," said Mark Moore, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Deltagen.
Crohn's disease is one of two major types of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) -- the general term for diseases that cause inflammation in the intestines -- and has no cure and a high rate of recurrence following treatment. It usually occurs in the lowest portion of the small intestine (ileum), and the large intestine (colon or bowel), but it can occur in other parts of the digestive tract. Crohn's usually involves all layers of the intestinal wall. The disease can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms, which include chronic diarrhea, crampy abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and weight loss, often mimic those of the other IBD type -- ulcerative colitis -- which affects only the colon.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Deltagen is an emerging leader in the discovery and development of drugs from the human genome. Through its Target Research and Development program, Deltagen has established secreted protein and small-molecule discovery programs in the areas of oncology, metabolic disorders and inflammatory diseases. Proprietary target discovery and validation technologies, integrated chemistry capabilities, and state-of-the-art drug metabolism and toxicology programs support Deltagen's extensive drug discovery efforts. Deltagen's technology portfolio will serve to accelerate a series of clinical candidate compound initiatives. Deltagen currently has secreted protein partnership agreements with Eli Lilly and Company and Hyseq, Inc. Deltagen's principal database product, DeltaBase(TM), provides a database of in vivo derived, mammalian gene function information. Current DeltaBase collaborators include three of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world: Pfizer, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline plc; and Merck & Co... |
