This technology is a membrane-permeable hexapeptide that specifically inhibits caspase-2 signaling in the central nervous system to treat neurodegenerative diseases.
Caspase-2 is an enzyme that is required for many neuronal death pathways, including those implicated in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, making it a promising therapeutic target. However, current caspase-2 inhibitors are not target specific and may cause unwanted side effects by suppressing multiple cellular signaling components. In addition, many therapeutic agents, particularly oligopeptides, suffer from poor cell membrane penetration that reduces their efficacy. As such, there is a need for a highly-specific, membrane-penetrable caspase-2 inhibitor for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
This technology is a hexapeptide that prevents caspase-2 activation by blocking the interaction of caspase‐2 and RAIDD, an essential adapter protein. By preventing the formation of the caspase-2-RAIDD complex, the hexapeptide blocks caspase-2-mediated cell death. Unlike existing caspase-2 inhibitors, this technology is highly specific for caspase-2, which reduces unwanted side effects. In addition, the hexapeptide can be conjugated to a variety of cell-penetrating peptides for improved therapeutic delivery to the central nervous system.
This technology has been shown to prevent the formation of the caspase-2-RAIDD complex in vitro, and is currently being tested in an Alzheimer’s disease murine model.
IR CU12019
Licensing Contact: Jerry Kokoshka