TECHNOLOGY

Anti-inflammatory Peptides

The cellular inflammatory response in the human body is characterized by progressive activation and extravasation of white blood cells. FIBREX Medical´s core competence is the interference with these mechanisms to create anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals.

Leukocytes attach to the blood vessel wall via interaction of selectins and integrins with their respective receptors, and become progressively activated. In order to accomplish the final step of transmigration through the endothelial layer, leukocytes must cross a multilayered molecular zipper of cell-cell junctions. FIBREX Medical has identified a critical molecular interaction in this transmigration process. Unlike the attachment through selectins and integrins, where a strong redundancy of receptors makes drug targeting difficult, the interaction discovered by FIBREX Medical is rate limiting and irreversible. The company has identified a number of compounds which potently inhibit leukocyte migration through an endothelial layer. The anti-inflammatory effect of these novel peptides have been confirmed in in vivo animal models. Depending on their sequence, these peptides were shown to have distinct biological profiles. These novel peptides are modified fragments of naturally occurring proteins. FIBREX has demonstrated their precise mode of action by which they control leukocyte migration and thereby prevent inflammation.