Conquering the Inner Struggle: Mastering Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

It’s well-known that a robust immune system is fundamental to good health. Yet, did you know that our immune system, designed to protect us, can sometimes turn against us, attacking the body itself? This troubling issue lies at the heart of autoimmune diseases. In these conditions, the immune system mistakenly targets healthy tissues, causing inflammation and damage. With up to 10% of the world population affected, understanding this unexpected behavior is crucial for developing more effective treatments and improving patient outcomes.

Autoimmune diseases come in various forms, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and more. These conditions target different areas: rheumatoid arthritis affects joint linings, multiple sclerosis damages nerve cell coatings, and lupus can impact multiple organs like the skin, joints, brain, heart, and lungs. Inflammation is a common feature across these diseases, leading to symptoms like joint pain, rashes, fevers, and fatigue, depending on the affected areas.

What are the Triggers?

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues or overreacts to normal antigens, affecting various organs and tissues. These conditions can produce symptoms that range from mild to severe. The exact causes are complex and not fully understood, but several potential contributors have been identified:

• Genetic Factors: Autoimmune diseases often run in families, suggesting a genetic link in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
• Environmental Triggers: Factors such as viral infections, exposure to toxins like cigarette smoke, and high-salt diets can impair immune function, leading to autoimmune diseases.
• Lifestyle Risks: Smoking, obesity, and diets high in fats and sugars can increase inflammation and alter immune responses, heightening the risk of autoimmune diseases.
• Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome (MAS): Individuals with one autoimmune disease are more likely to develop additional autoimmune disorders.

Fighting the Condition

Understanding immune system dysregulation in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases is crucial for combating these disorders. Some key factors include:

• Loss of Self-Tolerance: This occurs when the immune system loses its ability to differentiate between the body’s own cells and foreign invaders, leading to self-attacks.
• Molecular Mimicry: In this phenomenon, pathogens mimic the appearance of the body’s cells, causing the immune system to erroneously attack these cells.
• Epitope Spreading: Over time, the immune response can mistakenly expand to include additional antigens that are related yet distinct from the original targets.
• Cytokine Imbalance: An imbalance in cytokines, which are vital for regulating immune responses, can lead to unchecked inflammation and subsequent tissue damage.
• T Cell and B Cell Dysregulation: Dysfunctional T cells and B cells, crucial components of the immune system, start attacking the body’s tissues, worsening the diseases’ effects.

While a cure for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases remains elusive, researchers are actively working to devise strategies that manage symptoms and combat these disorders. Each disease involves unique immune pathways and cellular interactions, requiring a deep understanding of biological mechanisms. This knowledge is crucial for developing targeted therapies that precisely correct the immune system’s actions without broadly suppressing it.

What Biocytogen Offers

Biocytogen is at the cutting edge of advancing drug development for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We offer humanized mouse models that replace mouse genes with their human counterparts, enabling precise preclinical testing of drugs in a human genetic context. Additionally, we have developed fully human antibodies that target key pathways involved in these diseases, providing efficient solutions for novel therapy development.

Humanized Mice for Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

Biocytogen has developed humanized mice specifically tailored for autoimmune diseases such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, intestinal inflammation, and rheumatoid arthritis. These models express human candidate genes, enabling drug candidates to interact with human-specific targets. This approach is critical for in vivo evaluations of drug efficacy, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), accelerating the drug development process and bringing effective treatments to patients more quickly.

Examples of our models include:

• B-hIL4/hIL4RA mice
• B-hTSLP/hTSLPR mice
• B-hIL17A/hIL17F mice
• B-hIL36R mice
• B-hIL6/hIL6R mice
• B-hTL1A mice
• B-hIgE/hFCER1A mice

Fully Human Antibodies for Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

Biocytogen has developed over 20 innovative fully human antibodies targeting key pathways in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases using our proprietary RenMice? platforms. Notably, our anti-OSM and anti-OSMR monoclonal antibodies target components of the IL-6 cytokine family, which are elevated in chronic inflammatory conditions with fibrosis, and have shown remarkable efficacy compared to existing treatments. These antibodies effectively inhibit OSM and IL-31 functions, making them promising candidates for treating inflammatory skin diseases, pulmonary fibrosis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Biocytogen is advancing asthma therapies by developing fully human antibodies targeting IGHE, which block IgE binding to FCER1A and CD23, inhibiting mast cell and basophil degranulation to reduce inflammation. These antibodies hold promise for treating asthma and other IgE-mediated diseases. Our antibodies against ST2, the IL-33 receptor involved in allergic reactions and chronic inflammation, also offer potential benefits for these conditions.

The Path Forward?

Ongoing research brings renewed hope for breakthroughs and potential cures for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. As we unravel these complexities, Biocytogen is committed to pioneering innovative treatments and accelerating their transition from lab to clinic. Contact us to learn how our cutting-edge products and services can advance your research and explore co-development or licensing opportunities!

References

Shapira, Yinon, Nancy Agmon-Levin, and Yehuda Shoenfeld. “Defining and analyzing geoepidemiology and human autoimmunity.” Journal of autoimmunity 34.3 (2010): J168-J177.

NIH News in Health . “Understanding Autoimmune Diseases”. (2022)

Healthline . “Everything to Know About Autoimmune Diseases”. (2024)

Pisetsky, David S. “Pathogenesis of autoimmune disease.” Nature Reviews Nephrology 19.8 (2023): 509-524.