Specificity in the inflammasome

Inflazome Ltd. is springboarding off an old Pfizer Inc. compound to design a collection of new inflammasome inhibitors targeted to specific cells and tissues to treat diseases including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and gout.

The inflammasome is a cytosolic multiprotein complex that induces cytokine secretion and caspase-mediated cell death. Different proteins trigger formation of different inflammasomes. The best characterized form is induced by NLRP3 (NLR family pyrin domain containing 3), an intracellular signaling molecule activated by external and internal danger signals including pathogens or misfolded host proteins. Inflammasomes that contain NLRP3 activate caspase-1 (CASP1), which cleaves precursors of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1 beta and IL-18 into their active forms. ...