ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms
Evasin Invasion
September 11, 2008 7:00 AM UTC
Researchers at Merck KGaA have found that ticks, parasites better known as transmission vectors for diseases such as Lyme disease, may be a source of therapeutically useful molecules. They have identified several selective chemokine-binding proteins identified in tick saliva, dubbed evasins, that have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in mice.1
Merck is hoping evasins' chemokine multiselectivity and potential for low immunogenicity will be key advantages over existing chemokine-...