In follow-up to an earlier blog post on Brilacidin’s Mechanism of Action, linked to here is a comprehensive review article on the therapeutic properties of defensins, which Brilacidin, Innovation Pharma's immunomodulatory drug candidate, was designed to be a mimic of.
The article highlights the multiple immunoregulatory functions of defensins, also referred to as “moonlighting antimicrobial peptides” and “the Swiss army knife” in innate immunity -- how defensins function in important (especially mucosal) roles in human health and disease.
In some skin diseases and GI conditions (e.g., in Crohn’s), a defensin dysfunction or deficiency exists, supporting Brilacidin's treatment potential in Crohn's and other Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), as defensins play a "special role" in IBD. Similarly, it has been proposed defensins, as “broad-spectrum molecules,” could be targeted for drug development in a number of autoimmune rheumatoid disorders.
Brilacidin has been tested in mid-stage clinical trials in Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection (ABSSSI), Ulcerative Proctitis / Ulcerative Proctosigmoiditis (UP/UPS), a limited type of IBD, and Oral Mucositis (OM), with promising results observed to date in each indication.
Brilacidin's platform or franchise potential (pdf), whether the drug is delivered as a systemic or topical agent, might extend into numerous other indications (Gateway Concept), given its unique therapeutic profile.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26598808
