Drug Inhibition of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation

Brief Description

This technology provides a novel insight into the NLRP3 inflammasome's role in the immune response and introduces a repurposed drug that inhibits its activation.

Full Description

The NLRP3 inflammasome is crucial for the innate immune response, activated by a wide range of agents. This technology explores how NLRP3 interacts with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), revealing that it binds non-oxidized and oxidized mtDNA with different affinities. A significant discovery is the repurposing of a drug targeting human glycosylase to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation, offering a new therapeutic approach for diseases involving the inflammasome.

Suggested uses

• Pharmaceuticals for treating chronic inflammatory diseases like gout, type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis. 
• Therapeutic interventions for rare genetic disorders associated with NLRP3 mutations. 
• Anti-inflammatory drugs with reduced side effects for a broad patient demographic. 
• Research tools for studying the innate immune response and inflammation.

Advantages

• Directly targets the molecular mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. 
• Offers a new therapeutic strategy for treating a wide range of inflammatory diseases. 
• Potentially reduces side effects associated with current anti-inflammatory treatments. 
• Based on detailed molecular understanding, increasing the specificity of the treatment. 
• Provides insights into the role of oxidized mtDNA in immune response activation.

Patent Status

Patent Pending

Related Materials

• Cabral, A., Cabral, J.E., Wang, A. et al. Differential Binding of NLRP3 to non-oxidized and Ox-mtDNA mediates NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation. Commun Biol 6, 578 (2023).