Overview of Ligand-targeted drugs
We target drugs specifically to pathologic cells to improve the potency of the attached drug, and to prevent the collateral toxicity that would normally occur if the drug were allowed to enter healthy cells.
Reprogramming of the human Immune System
Design of targeted drugs to independently reprogram different immune cell types (activated macrophages, T cells, antigen presenting cells, Fc receptor expressing cells) for treatment of malignant, CNS, infectious, and autoimmune diseases
Development of a novel CAR T cell immunotherapy for cancer
Development of novel ligand-targeted immunotherapies for cancer that are specifically activated only in the tumor mass. Included among the immunotherapies is a novel universal CAR T cell therapy for all cancers and several other therapies that specifically reprogram immune cells in the tumor microenvironment without altering the same immune cells in healthy tissues.
Bone and Soft Tissue Regeneration
Use of hydroxyapatite-targeting peptides to deliver attached bone anabolic agents for accelerated healing of bone factures, spinal fusions, reconstruction surgeries, stress fractures, orthopedic and dental implants, bone remodeling procedures.
Radioligand Therapies For Cancer
Using our toolbox of cancer-targeting ligands, we design tumor-targeted radionuclides, including 177Lu, 225Ac, and 68Ga for the radiotherapy and radioimaging of multiple solid tumors.
Therapies for infectious Diseases
Design of targeted immunotherapeutic agents for treatment of viral and other infectious diseases.
Fluorescence Guided Surgery of Cancer
Synthesis of tumor-targeted fluorescent dyes for identification, localization, resection and staging of cancers during surgery.
A Cure for Malaria
Development of therapies to treat erythrocyte diseases, with special focus on creating a single pill cure for malaria and a nontoxic therapy for sickle cell disease.
SYK-specific Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
We have designed a number of SYK-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors and have exploited them to treat such diseases as malaria, leukemias, lymphomas, sickle cell disease, autoimmune diseases, and even Alzheimer's disease. In all cases, the key to success has been to design an inhibitor that blocks SYK while exhibiting no off-target inhibitory potency against other tyrosine kinases.
RNA and DNA based Therapeutics
Recent successes of RNA- and DNA-based therapeutics has awakened an interest in exploring the use of oligonucleotide drugs (ONDs) to manipulate human biology. With our large toolbox of cell targeting ligands, we have begun to develop ligand-targeted OND-based therapies for a number of human diseases.
Therapies for Liver Diseases
Liver function can be compromised by many maladies, including cirrhosis, viral infections (e.g. HBV), inflammation, and fatty liver disease/MASH. Using novel hepatocyte- and Kupffer cell-targeting ligands, we are developing targeted therapies for several of these pathologies.
Therapies for Fibrotic Diseases
Fibrotic diseases can arise in essentially any organ or tissue, and collectively they account for ~45% of all deaths. In an effort to design treatments for fibrotic diseases, we have developed the ability to target drugs selectively to the activated subset of fibroblasts that produce the fibrosis. These targeted therapies show significant promise in treating most of the fibrotic diseases that plague humanity today.