Regen BioPharma’s candidates inhibit NR2F6 and activate human immune cells ex-vivo.
The NR2F6 nuclear receptor has been identified as a potentially important immune checkpoint inhibitor and has also been found to play role in cancer stem cell differentiation. Regen BioPharma, a California-based biotechnology company focused on stem cell and immunotherapies for specialty niche treatments are currently working on the advancement of small-molecule therapies for treating cancer and autoimmune disorders by modulating the Checkpoint NR2F6.
The company is working to identify antagonists of NR2F6 that will lead to the enhancement of a patient’s own immune response. It also is looking for agonists that suppress the immune system in diseases where the immune system is over-activated, such as autoimmunity.
Recently, Regen announced that it has developed several small-molecule inhibitors of NR2F6 that also activate human immune cells ex-vivo.
"Based on the known activities of NR2F6, we expect that inhibiting its activity will lead to increased T cell activation. We found that several of our NR2F6 antagonists can activate human immune cells, such as T cells, leading to increased IL-17a production in a concentration-dependent manner," said Harry Lander, Ph.D., MBA, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regen.