Overview
ChemoCentryx is focused exclusively on the discovery, development and commercialization of orally-administered small molecule therapeutics that target chemokine receptors and related chemoattractant receptors.
Since its founding, ChemoCentryx has established one of the broadest pipelines of chemokine-based therapeutics in the pharmaceutical industry. This has been based on our pioneering insight into the chemokine system, a complex network of chemokine (CHEMO-attractant cytoKINE) molecules (ligands) and receptors that work together to regulate the movement of immune cells in and out of inflamed tissues. Each of our novel small molecule product candidates is designed to target a specific chemokine or chemoattractant receptor, thereby blocking the inappropriate immune system cascade underlying a given disease.
The ChemoCentryx approach is designed to discover, develop and commercialize therapeutics that provide distinct advantages over currently marketed therapies in our disease areas of focus. These advantages include:
- Improved safety profile.
Our product candidates are designed to selectively target only those chemokine-chemokine receptor interactions involved in a specific disease, rather than broadly suppressing the body's immune system. Existing treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases tend to suppress the entire immune system which can lead to dangerous safety consequences.
- Convenient dosing and improved patient compliance.
Our current product candidates are designed to be administered orally. Many marketed therapeutics for autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders and cancer are administered via injection or infusion.
- Lower production costs.
Unlike biologic therapeutics, which tend to be expensive to produce, our current small molecule product candidates are typically less expensive to manufacture.
ChemoCentryx has internally generated several clinical- and preclinical-stage compounds, each targeting distinct chemokine receptors and offering the potential to treat various diseases. Our lead product candidate, Traficet-EN, or CCX282, is intended to be a first-in-class, anti-inflammatory small molecule therapeutic targeting the CCR9 chemokine receptor. We recently completed a Phase II/III clinical trial of Traficet-EN for the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease, called PROTECT-1. This study was designed to evaluate Traficet-EN for the induction of clinical response or remission in patients with Crohn's disease as well as to evaluate Traficet-EN's utility as maintenance therapy. Another investigational new drug in clinical trials is CCX025 which is the second orally administered compound that inhibits the CCR9 chemokine receptor. An additional product candidate, CCX140, which targets the chemokine receptor CCR2, has completed Phase I clinical trials. The CCR2 receptor is of central importance to inflammatory diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and vascular restenosis. CCX354, which targets the chemokine receptor CCR1, is currently in the clinic and has advanced into Phase II clinical trials. CCR1 plays a significant role in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.
Programs in advanced preclinical development include:
- Our C5a chemoattractant receptor antagonist series, a potential source of product candidates for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, and other inflammatory disorders; our latest product candidate results from this work and begins clinicals trials in January 2010
- Anticancer compounds that target CXCR7, a chemokine receptor associated with tumor growth; and
- Additional compounds under evaluation targeting novel chemokine receptors for indications in liver disease and skin inflammation.
ChemoCentryx has developed a purpose-built suite of proprietary drug discovery technologies, called EnabaLink®. This technology suite was specifically designed to unlock the chemokine system's complexity and to accelerate a productive drug discovery program. ChemoCentryx has leveraged the EnabaLink drug discovery engine to build our current robust pipeline of development candidates.
We believe that our broad pipeline of orally bioavailable product candidates, our ability to advance unique, highly specific compounds into and through clinical development across diverse indications, and our proprietary drug discovery technologies provide us with distinct advantages that will enable us to continue to discover and develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of inflammatory and oncologic diseases.
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