Kineta Inc.
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
Kineta Inc. is working an array of novel Kv1.3 potassium channel blockers derived from the venom of the Caribbean sea anemone. They are designed to suppress activation of effector memory T-cells, which are mediators of inflammation and tissue damage in multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes mellitus and other autoimmune diseases. Kineta's studies indicate that the company's lead compound appears to inhibit only the effector memory T-cells and leave other immune functions unperturbed.
You may also be interested in...
Genentech Bets On Kineta's Early-Stage, Disease-Modifying Pain Therapy
Genentech partners with the Seattle biotech on a non-opioid approach to chronic pain. Kineta says there's disease-modifying potential.
Start-Up Previews (11/2009)
A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, "Inflammation: A Hot Space Gets Complicated," features profiles of CellAct Pharma, Kineta and Lycera. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: BioLeap, Integrated Diagnostics, Nightingale-EOS, SBIO, Spirus Medical and Varix Medical.
Lycera Corp.
Lycera Corp. develops small-molecule immunomodulators. Its lead benzodiazapene-based compounds have shown efficacy in animal models of lupus, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and transplant rejection. Lycera also recently acquired a program targeting the TH17 pathway, which controls production of IL-17, a pro-inflammatory cytokine increasingly considered critical to inflammation and autoimmune disease.