MRC Technology, a technology transfer charity and company, announced at the end of last year a pound 577,000 funding award from the Biomedical Catalyst.
The award has been granted to MRC Technology to fund research into the role of cytokine IL-16 in Ischaemic Reperfusion Injury (IRI), the tissue damage and ensuing inflammatory response resulting from a sudden loss of blood flow, such as may occur during surgery or as a result of a blood clot.
The MRC Technology programme will deliver a humanised anti-IL-16 antibody along with efficacy, pharmacokinetic and toxicology data in mammalian models, as a prelude to partnering with pharma or biotech and subsequent progression into human clinical trials.
The therapeutic potential of the anti-IL-16 antibody against other inflammatory and autoimmune diseases will also be investigated, using models including Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Professor Justin Bryans, Director of Drug Discovery at MRC Technology said: “Following successful proof of concept in a murine model, we are delighted to have received this early-stage award. This will enable us to progress the anti-IL-16 antibody project such that we can work towards delivering a ground breaking new treatment for a very serious condition, which we hope will ultimately help a significant number of patients.”