Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis are serious chronic inflammatory disorders with a large unmet medical need for safer and more efficacious treatments.
At our Ridgefield site, our drug discovery efforts aim to regulate the processes involved in lymphocyte trafficking, immune cell signalling and the synthesis of critical inflammatory mediators. Additionally, we aim to deploy our knowledge about the influence of the immune and inflammatory systems on diseases in other therapeutic areas.
In that regard, small molecule inhibitors of immunological signalling are being tested for their activities against inflammatory diseases as well as respiratory diseases that have an inflammatory component.
Immunohistochemical stained cells
Small molecules, able to inhibit inflammatory processes, have also advanced into pre-clinical development and others are currently being evaluated for key decisions. The mechanistic understanding of rheumatoid arthritis has allowed our scientists the identification of new approaches to understanding the biology of the disease that we hope will continue to lead to further innovation in the future. Given the recent success of biologics in autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, the focus of NBE research has been applied to these diseases.
In order to maximise our portfolio, we have in-licensed an antibody from the biotechnology company AbGenomics that targets activated T lymphocytes sparing the early immune response and therefore shows promise as therapy for autoimmune diseases. Progress has also been made in the identification of antibodies targeting the inflammatory cascade, further building our NBE portfolio.
Given the variety of approaches and the focus on the mechanistic understanding of disease pathogenesis, we are confident that our research in immunology and inflammation will result in improved treatment options for patients who suffer from autoimmune diseases.
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