IFM Therapeutics, LLC Presents Promising Preclinical Data for NLRP3 Inhibitors at ACS 2018

BOSTON, Aug. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- IFM Therapeutics, LLC (IFM), a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies that modulate novel targets in the innate immune system, today announced data from IFM-conducted preclinical studies on NLRP3-inhibitor compounds, which help to validate the role of NLRP3 inhibition in disease treatment. These results were presented by William Roush, Ph.D., IFM's Executive Vice President of Chemistry, at the 256^th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on August 19, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.

IFM's recently launched subsidiary, IFM Tre, is developing a suite of different NLRP3 antagonists that can potentially block the inflammatory responses underlying a variety of serious diseases. Previous research has shown that NLRP3 inflammasome activity is increased in disease tissue from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), specifically Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). 

"We are excited to present data that demonstrate how NLRP3 inhibitors can reduce disease severity in a number of well-validated preclinical models of IBD," said Dr. Roush. "To date, our team has made important advances in understanding the role of NLRP3 in diseases that affect millions of people worldwide, and we look forward to expanding our robust knowledge of NLRP3 function and pharmacology as we advance our suite of small molecules toward the clinic."

In addition to use as a single-agent therapy for IBD, NLRP3 inhibitors could have ideal compatibility as a combination agent with systemic immunosuppressive drug regimens to enhance efficacy without impacting patient safety.

Current therapeutic interventions include anti-TNF treatments; however, up to 50 percent of patients do not respond. It is hypothesized that NLRP3 plays a mechanistic role in anti-TNF resistance in CD. Therefore, it is expected that NLRP3 inhibition could have a synergistic effect with anti-TNF therapy for patients who are otherwise unresponsive to anti-TNF treatments.

"The findings presented at ACS further highlight the recent advances in targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome with small-molecule inhibitors," said Gary D. Glick, CEO and co-founder of IFM Therapeutics. "Thanks to the work of Bill and our team of experts, including Dr. Eicke Latz, and Dr. Luigi Franchi, we are preparing to advance drug candidates into the clinic that will remain within the GI tract with a low degree of systemic penetration. We hypothesize that this gut-directed approach will result in safer, more efficacious treatments for those living with IBD. We are also committed to advancing our broader suite of development-stage NLRP3 antagonists, which have the potential to improve the lives of patients with other inflammatory diseases."

About IFM Therapeutics, LLC

IFM Therapeutics, LLC (IFM) is a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was founded by an international group of preeminent scientists and physicians who have spent decades understanding innate immunity and the role it plays in regulating the immune system. IFM's team has discovered and developed small molecules that modulate novel targets in the innate immune system as next-generation therapies for cancer, auto-immunity, and inflammatory disorders. IFM owns and operates IFM Tre, a subsidiary company launched in July of 2018 that is developing a suite of small-molecule antagonists targeting inappropriate inflammatory responses of the innate immune system via the NLRP3 pathway. For more information, please visit www.ifmthera.com.    

SOURCE IFM Therapeutics, LLC