Tight junction function

Alba Therapeutics Corp. believes that a number of autoimmune disorders are caused by increased paracellular permeability that allows unwanted proteins to passively cross otherwise impenetrable barriers such as intestinal walls and the blood-brain barrier. The company has identified zonulin as a protein capable of regulating intercellular tight junction function, and plans to begin clinical testing of a zonulin antagonist next month to treat celiac disease.

Blake Paterson, co-founder and CEO of Alba, told BioCentury that autoimmune diseases are conventionally thought to be caaused by a pair of conditions: genetic susceptibility and an environmental trigger. However, "we're looking to turn the autoimmune paradigm on its head by proving that there is a third component." ...