Lab11 is dedicated to discovering host-directed therapeutics to
prevent, treat and cure human diseases.
Inspired by human patient research,
our products will give people the power to stop the next pandemic.
Therapeutics, inspired by humans, for humankind.
Lab11 is dedicated to discovering host-directed therapeutics to
prevent, treat and cure human diseases.
The first approach focuses on developing small molecules that modulate the host's immune response against viral infections. Our second approach is to develop antiviral mRNA therapeutics (transient gene therapy) to restrict viral infections.
Unlike traditional antivirals that protect specific individual viral species, our therapeutics are broadly acting, and we envision it will likely protect against all viral diseases. Importantly, unlike pathogen-centric antivirals, which become obsolete or less efficacious due to viral evolution, our host-directed therapeutic will not be significantly affected by viral antigenic drift or viral mutation.
As a pilot, we plan to deploy therapeutics against Influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2 but are actively monitoring and testing efficacy against emerging/re-emerging pathogens.
Across both areas of research, we have conducted extensive genetic and biochemical experiments to validate its broad-spectrum antiviral effect in multiple in-silico, in vitro, and in vivo models.
See Q&A responses from our recent invited panel discussion with New Orleans BioInnovation Center!
Contact us if you cannot find an answer to your question or want additional information!
We were in this space before we knew we were in it. The basis of our research is guided by human patient studies. In the early 2010s, we identified the first human cases with ISG15 deficiency. These patients presented with very mild interferonopathy and are otherwise healthy. Interestingly, patient cells had increased resistance to diverse viral infections relative to healthy individuals. Inspired by this observation, we developed small molecules to mimic cellular ISG15 deficiency and its consequent antiviral state. Later, we identified the specific host effector genes elevated in ISG15 deficiency and have now used mRNA-lipid nanoparticle technology to establish the broad-spectrum state transiently. These and similar human genetics studies led us to appreciate the enormous potential for improved health that can be derived from tweaks to host systems that are waiting to be discovered amongst the diversity of the human population.
As our understanding of the human condition increases, this field will revolutionize how we develop therapeutics. For a long time, we have developed pathogen-centric drugs. While these are significant improvements to human health and medicine, they have a limited therapeutic value. The pathogens are incredibly diverse, and identifying a druggable target across all pathogens is unlikely. That’s the attractiveness of host-directed therapeutics. By leveraging naturally occurring cellular processes, the utility of host-directed therapeutics will range from treating infections to polygenic diseases to cancers. Moreover, human genetic diversity represents a largely untapped resource to mine for future therapeutics.
Great question. It’s a particularly relevant question. I recently tried to explain what I do to my family without getting too bogged down on the technical details. This is what I came up with. Host-directed therapeutics are like a natural superpower or armor. The human body has the ability to create this armor in response to external stimuli. Our therapeutic aims to transiently provide this armor and allow the body to respond better to viral infections. In a broader sense, this new therapeutic paradigm aims to modulate entire host systems rather than target individual elements, as traditional therapeutics do.
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