Our Science

  • ILC Therapeutics™ has designed synthetic peptides based on a naturally occurring protein with proven affinities for receptors expressed on all Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC1,2 &3).
  • We are currently elucidating the various cytokine, chemokine and cellular changes initiated by administration of our peptides in vitro. Many of the changes we have seen may be critical to the treatment of several disease states including: Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis and Cancer.
  • We have filed several patents and some have already been granted in the USA and Europe.
  • The peptides have been expressed in E.coli and purified. Our focus this year is to further validate our results on human skin and tumour models. 
  • As ILC’s control tissue microenvironments, success in human skin models of chronic inflammation is particularly relevant to the potential clinical outcome. We will also decide on a final formulation for topical application of our small (17Kd) peptide(s). 

Innate Lymphoid Cells 

 

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) were discovered about a decade ago and are the most recently identified population of immune cells that belong to the lymphoid lineage. They represent a distinct arm of the innate immune system that can directly communicate with a wide variety of haematopoietic and non-haematopoietic cells to mediate host defence, inflammation and metabolic homeostasis in multiple tissues.

 

Unlike adaptive T and B lymphocytes, they lack pattern-recognition receptors and somatically rearranged antigen receptors and therefore cannot respond to pathogenic insult in an antigen-specific manner. They are ubiquitously distributed throughout the body and enriched at mucosal and barrier surfaces, serving as the first line of defense against microorganisms.

 

 Although present in relatively low numbers, the selective distribution of ILCs within tissues seems to confer a remarkable ability to regulate multiple physiological processes throughout the body. 

 

Understanding the dysregulation of ILCs in the context of infectious, metabolic, and chronic inflammatory conditions in humans might provide therapeutic solutions in the treatment of diverse autoimmune inflammatory diseases and cancers. 

 

ILC’s are divided into 3 main Groups: ILC 1, ILC2 and ILC3. Modulating the activity of these cells is the focus of Innate Lymphoid Cell Therapeutics (ILC) Ltd.


Overview of Groups 1, 2 &3 Innate Lymphoid Cells (temporary illustration)

Innate Lymphoid Cells & Chronic Disease States (Temporary Illustration)


Key Cells, Cytokine and Chemokines

  • Although Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis are both inflammatory skin diseases they have different mechanisms of action. 
  • The key immune cells in Psoriasis are Neutophils & ILC3’s and the main cytokines are IL-17 & IL-23. 
  • In Atopic Dermatitis the key cells are Basophils & ILC 2’s and the main cytokines are IL-4 and IL-13.
  • Keratinocytes are heavily involved in both diseases and also mediate immune control via  complex feed back loops and chemokine release.

Mechanism of Actions

Inflammatory Loop in Atopic Dermatitis

Innate Lymphoid Cells & Chronic Disease States

Inflammatory Loop in Psoriasis

 

Overview of Groups 1, 2 &3 Innate Lymphoid Cells

Key Cells, Cytokine and Chemokines


Ongoing R&D

  • We are currently looking into the use of our proprietary peptide sequences in a gene therapy application in the area of oncology.
  • We are investigating other peptides that are also involved in the control of ILC 2 and ILC 3 inflammatory responses.
  • We are looking at the applications of our existing peptides to Allergic Asthma and Gut Inflammatory Diseases.