Curr Opin Invest Dr
-
Curr Opin Invest Dr · May 2008
ReviewXToll, a recombinant chaperonin 10 as an anti-inflammatory immunomodulator.
CBio Ltd, under license from the University of Queensland, is developing a recombinant form of chaperonin 10, known as XToll, for the potential anti-inflammatory treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. All three indications have been evaluated in phase IIa clinical trials. By May 2005, a phase IIa trial for Crohn's disease had been terminated due to slow recruitment. The company has not disclosed plans for future development for this indication.
-
Herpesvirus infection, in particular EBV infection, has been implicated in several major autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Herpesvirus infection has potential roles in both initiating the autoimmune process and exacerbating disease progression. ⋯ Research has been conducted in a mouse gamma-herpesvirus model, as it serves as a useful model for productive infection within autoimmune target tissues. The novel mechanisms by which EBV could contribute bystander effects by amplification of innate immune responses, along with preclinical and epidemiological studies into the role of herpesviruses in SLE, MS and RA, and clinical studies into the potential benefit of antiviral therapy, are discussed in this review.