| Category | Life Sciences and Biotechnology |
| Keywords | Skin pathologies, local treatment, Scleroderma, Psoriasis, LPA |
Application
Psoriasis is a common and chronic inflammatory skin disease. According to the International Federation of Psoriasis Association (IFPA), nearly 3 percent of the world’s population, around 125 million people, have some form of psoriasis. The global psoriasis treatment market size is projected to be US$40.58 billion by 2027.
Scleroderma is a connective tissue disease characterized by a series of skin changes (inflammation, degeneration, thickening, fibrosis, sclerosis, and atrophy). With an over 2.5 million people worldwide suffering from this disease, its therapeutics market is estimated to be US$3.8 billion by 2026.
Steroid creams and immunosuppressive therapy are the current common treatments for both diseases. But immunosuppressive drugs carry heavy side effects since they suppress the patient’s immune system.
Our innovation
LPA (Lysophosphatidic Acid) stimulates regulation of skin protection, sensation, and metabolism through a variety of pathways. It was reported that levels of LPA were increased in patients with scleroderma and that LPA could actively participate in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.
Our technology incorporates the generation of two novel molecules that can regulate the pathways involved in the skin protection, and thereby serve as potential treatment for skin pathologies.
The advantage of the two newly synthesized molecules is their unique ability to penetrate cellular barriers. Limiting the local production of LPA secreted by the skin lesion could serve as a new approach for local treatment of skin pathologies demonstrating elevated levels of LPA.
Opportunity
The expected outcome from the technology will be a novel local treatment of skin pathologies such as Scleroderma and Psoriasis, that does not attack the immune system and thus could lead to therapeutic benefits, while lowering side-effects.
We seek potential collaborations with dermatological and pharma companies for the development of the treatment.
