ImmunoMolecular Therapeutics To Present at the 10th Annual Biotech Showcase
Update on HLA-MHC Class II target platform for autoimmune diseases
BROOMFIELD, Colo. – December 21, 2017 – ImmunoMolecular Therapeutics (IM Therapeutics), a company developing personalized small molecule therapies for the treatment of genetically defined autoimmune diseases, today announced that Steve Orndorff, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of IMti, will present a corporate update at the 10th Annual Biotech Showcase held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square in San Francisco, CA. The presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at 10:45 AM PT.
Dr. Orndorff’s presentation will cover IM Therapeutics’ human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-MHC Class II target platform for autoimmune diseases and its application in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and celiac disease. Lead candidate, IMT-002, is being developed to treat early onset T1D by inhibiting the HLA-DQ8 gene, a generic risk factor in 50-60% of T1D patients, to prevent the autoimmune cascade from occurring and potentially preserve beta-cell function. If successful, this approach could enable T1D patients to maintain normal insulin production. The presentation will also include a discussion about IM Therapeutics’ progress in determining new small molecule inhibitors of HLA-DQ2, the major generic risk factor for celiac disease, through proprietary screening assays and in silico discovery.
“We are glad to have this opportunity to present our approach to treating the underlying autoimmunity of type 1 diabetes and celiac disease,” said Dr. Orndorff. “We will continue working to progress IMT-002 to clinical trials in 2018 and to expand our autoimmune disease platform through continued studies identifying and validating potential small molecule therapies for celiac disease.”
About Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a polygenetic disorder that affects the insulin producing beta-cells in the pancreas, categorized by a lack of sufficient insulin production, which prevents tissues from utilizing glucose, leading to high blood sugar. Insulin production is slowed when T and B cells react to self-antigens in the islets of the pancreas where the body’s insulin-producing beta-cells reside. The human HLA-DQ8 gene is the most significant factor in predisposing an individual to acquire T1D. The DQ8 gene is present in 50-60% of T1D patients and its protein product (a major histocompatibility class II molecule) is known to abnormally bind and present particular autoantigen peptides to autoreactive T cells.
About IMT-002
IMT-002 (D-methyldopa) is an oral small molecule drug being developed to treat T1D in patients with the HLA-DQ8 gene. IMT-002 occupies the peptide binding groove of DQ8 present on the surface of antigen presenting cells where diabetogenic peptides such as insulin are presented to CD4 T- lymphocytes to initiate the autoimmune cascade. When HLA-DQ8 function is inhibited, the immune system will no longer attack insulin producing beta-cells, thus creating the potential for at risk or early stage patients to maintain normal insulin production.
About IM Therapeutics
IM Therapeutics is developing personalized immuno-therapeutic drugs for autoimmune diseases based on the genetic risk attributed by human leukocyte antigen genes. The lead candidate drug is an oral small molecule that starves the autoimmune process in type 1 diabetes by blocking DQ8 on specific immune cells. Our goal is to preserve pancreatic beta-cell function and maintain normal insulin production in at-risk and early-stage patients with type 1 diabetes.
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