Opsona works with Wyeth on cures for inflammatory diseases

Published: 14-Feb-2006

Ireland's Opsona Therapeutics is to collaborate with the Pennsylvania, US-headquartered drugs developer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals on the discovery of compounds to treat inflammatory diseases.


Ireland's Opsona Therapeutics is to collaborate with the Pennsylvania, US-headquartered drugs developer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals on the discovery of compounds to treat inflammatory diseases.

The collaboration will focus on certain Toll-like receptor (TLR) targets, developed at Trinity College Dublin by Opsona-founder Professor Luke O'Neill, to discover new chemical entities and biologics for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Opsona will also undertake a target discovery programme that may lead to the generation of new targets in the TLR pathways.

TLRs are critical initiators of inflammation and have been implicated in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosis, in addition to applications in other fields, including cancer and vaccines.

Opsona will receive an upfront payment and additional payments upon the achievement of certain discovery and development milestones. It will also receive R&D funding and royalties on potential product sales and has the option to develop drugs derived from the collaboration for the treatment of topical indications.

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