Infectious disease
Cell culture and mouse studies identified two compounds that could help treat Cryptosporidium infections. Screening of 12,000 approved or investigational compounds in a C. parvum-infected human cell line identified two compounds, VB-201 and ASP7962, that inhibited proliferation with EC50 values of 860 and 54 nM, respectively. In a mouse model of C. parvum infection, VB-201 and ASP7962 decreased oocyst shedding, a marker of parasite growth, compared with vehicle. Next steps could include testing the compounds in additional models of Cryptosporidium infection.
Vascular Biogenics Ltd. has VB-201, a toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)/TLR4 antagonist that inhibits production of proinflammatory cytokines IL-12 and IL-23, in Phase II testing for atherosclerosis and preclinical testing for liver fibrosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)...