OGG1 inhibitors against acute lung injury
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Oxcia AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 5 000 000 |
| Project duration | November 2018 - May 2021 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
Acute lung injury, associated with sepsis, and pulmonary fibrosis are severe lung diseases with few medical treatments. With help of small molecular inhibitors of the enzyme OGG1, the goal is to develop a new medical treatment for these diseases. In a collaboration between Lund and Uppsala Universities, Karolinska Institutet and Oxcia AB, new potential drug candidates have been developed that have shown very promising effects in disease models. The selected substance will be further tested in preclinical studies with the aim of being evaluated clinically within a couple of years.
Expected results and effects
The project has resulted in a selection of OGG1 inhibitors that showed significant anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects. By treating OGG1 inhibitors daily, you get a significant reduction in inflammation, tissue damage and fibrosis development in the chronic disease model of pulmonary fibrosis. The substances have been shown to be well tolerated in short-term studies and are expected to be developed into completely new medical therapy for indications such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and acute lung failure.
Planned approach and implementation
In an extensive development program, chemists at Karolinska Institutet together with pharmacists at Uppsala Universitet have developed new inhibitors against the enzyme OGG1. Lund Universitet and Karolinska Institutet have evaluated the substances in established disease models and the promising results constitute good conditions for the development of these substances into a new drug. Oxcia AB now plans to select a CD (candidate drug) for evaluation in preclinical studies and to apply for clinical trials within a couple of years.