Pre-clinical development of natural compound-based drugs, targeting IL-23-Th17 pathway in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases – IMIDRUG

We are developing a new class of antiinflammatory drugs dedicated to immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by acute or chronic inflammation affecting any organ system whose physiopathology includes imbalance of inflammatory cytokines. IMID cause high morbidity and represent a considerable burden on patients in terms of altered quality of life and on society. We discovered 2,4-D a natural anti-inflammatory compound targeting the IL-23/IL-17 axis and identified its cellular targets in vitro and its efficacy in preclinical models of IMID (creation of a startup, article submitted and patent filed). Our project aims to identify the molecular targets of 2,4-D, to use medicinal chemistry for R&D, and to complete the pre-clinical study in a flagship animal model of IMID, Crohn's disease, and in ALS a model of deadly neurodegenerative disease with a strong inflammatory component The study will speed up the timeliness for a phase I study.