Science
Background
Two natural enzymes, peroxiredoxin (Prx) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), play a pivotal role in intracellular H2O2 regulation. These enzymes are distinct due to their coupling with specific redox systems: Thioredoxin (Trx) for Prx and Glutathione (GSH) for GPx.
VasThera’s first drug discovery platform, RedoxizymeTM, can design new small-molecules of Prx nanozymes, the first-in-class drug candidates applicable for precision therapy of Prx deficiency syndrome (PDS).
Astrocyte activation is critical for the initiation and progression of Alzheimer’s disease through MAOB-dependent GABA production. Specifically, MAOB also produces a substantial amount of H2O2 intracellularly, which eventually causes neuronal death.
VasThera’s second drug discovery platform, PeroxiChager, can design first-in-class drug candidates aimed at enhancing the activity of intracellular peroxidases in both astrocytes and microglial cells.
The drug candidates designed with PeroxiChager accelerates the elimination of intracellular H2O2 in reactive astrocytes, ultimately preventing neuronal cell death.
Autophagy (ATG) is a critical process for maintaining cellular homeostasis by eliminating harmful aggregates and damaged organelles.
VasThera’s third drug discovery platform, Opti-ATG, can design novel scaffold compounds accelerating autophagic flux and target diseases related to autophagy, such as neurodegeneration and eye diseases.
While still in its early development stage, we expect our first-in-class drug pipeline can effectively target dry AMD.