Hitting the kill switch
Most pain therapies are aimed at one of three targets - opioid receptors, COX-2 or sodium channels - but all have limitations in terms of efficacy and side effects. Thus, when scientists discovered the role of nerve growth factor in pain a few years ago, several companies started programs with small molecules targeting NGF. BioXell S.p.A. is one of a handful taking a different route, having in-licensed MNAC13 from Lay Line Genomics S.p.A. last week. The humanized monoclonal antibody targets not NGF, but its receptor.
There are as yet no clinical data to demonstrate proof of concept for NGF antagonists. But the theory is that NGF is crucial for generating and potentiating pain in inflammatory diseases. Cytokines produced at inflammation sites promote NGF production by several cell types in surrounding tissue. NGF then binds to tyrosine kinase receptor A (TrkA), which in turn triggers the excitability of several pain receptors. ...