VentiRx: 8 is great
In the wake of some high-profile disappointments among compounds targeting toll-like receptors 7 and 9, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. has placed its bets on a TLR8 program. The company believes the downstream expression patterns of TLR8 agonists will differentiate the target and prove effective for indications as disparate as cancer and allergic rhinitis.
The TLRs are a family of membrane-spanning receptors that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) of infectious agents and respond by stimulating the production of cytokines as part of an innate immune response. As a result, TLR modulators are being studied for conditions ranging from infectious diseases and cancer to autoimmune and inflammatory disorders (see BioCentury, Aug. 15, 2005)...