IL26 development board
Humanized monoclonal antibody (anti IL-26) for Psoriasis treatment
Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes red, itchy scaly patches most commonly on the knees, elbows, trunk and scalp. It is a chronic disease with no cure that goes through cycles of flaring, subsiding or going into remission. Interleukin 26 (IL-26) is an inflammatory cytokine that has recently been found to be overexpressed in certain psoriasis forms, and plays an important role in this disease.
IL-26 concentrations in healthy skin and psoriatic skin lesions measured by ELISA of total skin extracts derived from healthy donors (n = 15) or psoriasis patients (n = 15). Each data point represents an individual donor. (Meller et al 2015, Nature immunology. V 16. p970)
Therapeutic antibodies against cytokines known to be involved in these autoimmune diseases have proven to be the gold standard therapy to alleviate symptoms and in many cases to slow the progression of the disease. An antibody generated in mice against IL-26 was able to inhibit psoriasis in various mice models, providing proof of concept for the generation of a therapeutic antibody against IL-26.
AVVA Pharmaceuticals is in the process of developing the IL-26 antibody for human use.
Inventor’s Team
Michel Gilliet, MD Professor and Chairman
Head of Immuno-dermatology Research
Department of Dermatology
CHUV University Hospital and University of Lausanne
Jeremy Di Domizio, PhD Senior Scientist and Research
Lab Supervisor
Department of Dermatology
CHUV University Hospital and University of Lausanne