Patients with psoriatic arthritis exhibit high levels of both IL-17A and IL-17F cytokines in the synovium. Bimekizumab, a biologic that targets both IL-17A and IL-17F, was recently approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent and inflammatory skin disorder associated with immune system dysregulation. The abnormal immune response led to accelerated skin cell proliferation, resulting in thick plaques and chronic inflammation. The current gold-standard treatment is injectable immunosuppression.
In a deal that Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Eric Schmidt characterized as “capital recycling at its best,” Alumis Inc. and Acelyrin Inc. are merging in an all-stock transaction. The combined pipelines include Alumis’ most advanced prospect, ESK-001, an oral, next-generation, allosteric inhibitor of tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2). ESK-001 is undergoing the phase III Onward study for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis as well as the phase II Lumus bid in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Increland has identified proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) compounds comprising an E3 ubiquitin ligase binding moiety covalently linked to an interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) targeting moiety via a linker. They are described as potentially useful for the treatment of psoriasis.
Discovered and characterized at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the compound showed potent PDE4D inhibition and demonstrated high selectivity over other PDE families.
Scientists at Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats and Universitat de Barcelona have identified three-prime repair exonuclease 2 (TREX2) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and ichthyosis.
Blood dendritic cell antigen 2 (BDCA2) is expressed in plasmacytoid dendritic cells. These cells’ overproduction of type I interferon is closely linked to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune diseases.
Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. has selected PN-881, an oral peptide interleukin-17 (IL-17) antagonist, as a development candidate for the treatment of immune-mediated skin diseases.
