SignaBlok Awarded NIH NIDDK Grant to Develop Novel TREM-1 Antagonist Drug for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

SHREWSBURY, Mass. - EntSun -- The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded SignaBlok, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel peptide antagonists of cell receptors, a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop a new therapeutic approach for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

SignaBlok's approach to IBD therapy targets TREM-1, a cell-surface receptor that has emerged as a promising therapeutic target in inflammation. As an amplifier of inflammatory responses, TREM-1 is implicated in IBD, cancer, arthritis, retinopathy, fibrosis, and other inflammatory conditions. Of particular relevance to IBD, targeting TREM-1 delivers not only anti-inflammatory and inflammation-resolving effects, but also anti-fibrotic activity.

Two of SignaBlok's proprietary technologies will be utilized under the grant "New TREM-1 therapy for inflammatory bowel disease":

• Ligand-independent inhibition of cell receptors using short synthetic peptides, known as the SCHOOL technology. This approach is designed to address the challenge of targeting multi-ligand receptors such as TREM-1 using conventional approaches, including decoy receptors and antagonistic monoclonal antibodies.
• Nature-inspired nanotechnology for macrophage-targeted drug delivery. This technology is designed to enable selective inhibition of TREM-1 on macrophages while minimizing effects on neutrophils and monocytes, with the goal of reducing the risk of immunosuppression.

The NIH funding will support in vivo testing of SignaBlok's lead TREM-1 antagonist formulation in two animal models of IBD. Previous preclinical studies of this formulation demonstrated excellent tolerability, lack of immunogenicity and favorable pharmacokinetic and biodistribution profiles. This funding could ultimately lead to development of a transformative drug for IBD that is devoid of the safety concerns associated with current therapeutic approaches.

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"This award from the NIDDK / NIH reinforces the promise of SignaBlok's core platform technologies," said Alexander Sigalov, Ph.D., President and Founder of SignaBlok. "We have established animal proof of concept (POC) for TREM-1 antagonist SCHOOL peptide formulations across multiple preclinical disease models, including cancer, retinopathy, arthritis, lung fibrosis, sepsis, and other inflammatory conditions. With NIDDK funding, we aim to establish preclinical POC for IBD and accelerate the development of novel mechanism-based TREM-1 antagonist as a potential first-in-class therapy for patients with IBD."

References:

1. Sigalov AB. SCHOOL of nature: ligand-independent immunomodulatory peptides. Drug Discovery Today 2020, 25:1298-306
2. Sigalov AB. TREM-1 and TREM-2 as therapeutic targets: clinical challenges and perspectives. Front Immunol 2024,15:1498993.

About IBD: IBD, which primarily includes Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, is characterized by a chronic non-resolving inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and affects between 2.4 and 3.1 million adults and children in the US. Despite substantial advances in treatment, there is currently no cure for IBD, highlighting the need for new therapeutic approaches.

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About SignaBlok: SignaBlok, Inc. is a late preclinical stage biopharma company that develops first-in-class peptide-based TREM-1 and TREM-2 therapeutics, radiopharmaceuticals, companion diagnostics, and theranostics to address innate inflammation in multiple diseases. SignaBlok also specializes in targeted nanodelivery of SCHOOL peptides and other therapies and/or imaging agents. Additional information is available at www.signablok.com.