C5aR Program

A network of proteins known collectively as the complement system serves to regulate certain types of inflammatory responses. Fragments of complement proteins such as C5a can serve as chemoattractants, recruiting immune system cells such as neutrophils to sites of inflammation. C5a interacts specifically with the C5a receptor (C5aR) which belongs to the super class of G-protein coupled receptors. C5a is thought to play a role in a range of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, psoriasis, lupus, and certain types of vasculitis, among other diseases.

We have demonstrated our ability to transfer our understanding of drug discovery in the chemokine receptor space to the discovery/characterization of drug candidates for analogous systems such as C5aR. We have identified a best-in-class lead product candidate, CCX168, an orally bioavailable small molecule designed to specifically target C5aR. A Phase I clinical study of CCX168 began in January 2010.

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