Targeting fibrotic integrin

Fibrosis has long been associated with the activation of transforming growth factor-b by integrin, but the mechanism underlying the process in vivo was not known. Now, an international team has shown that the myofibroblast-expressed integrin αV subunit drives fibrogenesis and has proof of concept for therapeutic intervention with a small molecule integrin a_V antagonist from Antegrin Therapeutics LLC.¹

The biotech is developing an improved version of the lead compound for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)...