Principal Investigator
Michel Bouvier
Université de Montréal
Project of $1,082,323 over 2 year
- Supported by CQDM through:
Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (MEIE) - And by co-funding partner:
– Drave Therapeutics and Université de Montréal
The project in detail:
Challenge
Despite recent encouraging progress, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) remains a disease with unmet medical needs. To date, no approved drugs significantly change the course of the pathology. The two approved drugs, pirfenidone and nintedanib, only slow fibrosis progression but do not halt or reverse the course of the disease. A handful of drugs targeting this disease are in different phases of clinical trials. Yet, as for all chronic diseases, multipronged therapeutic approaches exploiting different mechanisms of action will likely be required to fully address the needs of IPF patients.
Solution
Using the team’s knowledge of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling properties that are known to be involved in the pulmonary fibrosis and regenerative processes, they will identify molecules that control the signalling of these GPCRs in a therapeutically relevant manner, combining anti-fibrotic properties with proregenerative effects. For this purpose, the signaling profiles of molecules already identified by the Drug Discovery Unit of IRIC will be established, and a medicinal chemistry campaign pursued to identify compounds with proper signaling profile and drug-like pharmacokinetics properties.
Expected Achievements /Impacts
The team expect to identify molecules that have the proper signaling profile for GPCRs involved in IPF. Following the in vitro characterization of these molecules, the demonstration of in vivo activity in pre-clinical models of IPF will represent a major inflection point in the development of a new therapy. In addition to lead to the generation of novel intellectual property, these molecules will represent drug candidates for further development by Drave Therapeutics, a newly created Quebec-based biotechnology company. The deployment of the project will allow creation of new jobs and retention of highly qualified personal. Together, these will have positive impacts on Quebec economy, in addition to potentially offer early access to new therapies to Quebec patients resulting from the clinical trial that should ensue.
