Mestag Therapeutics

UK-based Mestag Therapeutics was established in 2020 to develop new medicines for people affected by inflammatory disease and cancer, based on insights into disease-driving fibroblast subpopulations.

Fibroblasts are a type of cell present in many different tissues in the body; recent data point to them as being important drivers of disease. Historically, fibroblasts were thought to play an exclusively structural role in the provision of organ architecture as well as in processes such as wound healing.

Recently, state-of-the-art single cell analyses has enables fibroblasts to be viewed with precision, revealing multiple subpopulations and diverse functionality. Significantly, correlations have recently been established between fibroblast subpopulations and disease progression or response to treatment.

Target: Fibroblasts

Indications: Inflammatory disease and cancer

Stage: Discovery

Mestag says that its founders are world leaders in fibroblast biology across inflammatory disease and cancer, and have collectively published numerous studies dissecting the role of fibroblast sub-populations in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and pancreatic cancer using state-of-the art single cell analysis and bioinformatics.

In terms of approach, the company says its connections with clinical centres enable it to access patient-derived tissue and datasets which it will use to underpin its drug development efforts. Mestag says this rich resource also will allow it to identify novel targets, validate markers of target engagement and inform patient and indication selection.

Subscribe for alerts on new companies featured on Startups.Bio

Tags: