Another Zonulin Story

[Claire]

This piece appeared today in the Baltimore Business Journal. Unfortunately the bottom line will be money. Claire

ALBA, UM SCIENTISTS PUBLISH DISEASE FINDINGS

Scientists at Alba Therapeutics and the University of Maryland School of Medicine say they have found a direct link between a protein found in tissues and an autoimmune condition called Celiac disease.

The disorder causes inflamed intestines, and the scientific teams have published a paper in a scientific journal detailing what they say is a link between zonulin, a protein, and intestinal tissue leaks.

Alba Therapeutics, which has quickly emerged as one of Baltimore's most promising bioscience startups since relocating here last summer from Indiana, said a drug it is developing prevented such leaks.

A paper detailing the study's results was published in the November issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology.

Zonulin is described as a "traffic conductor" of tissues, opening spaces between cells to allow some substances to pass through while at the same time keeping harmful bacteria and toxins out. It was discovered by Dr. Alessio Fasano, of the University of Maryland, Baltimore's Mucosal Biology Research Center.

Tight junctions between cells, which control the passage of fluids and molecules, are considered key to immunity. Researchers hope to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases by regulating with drugs the pathways in the body where these tight junctions are opened and closed.

Alba Therapeutics acquired the exclusive rights last summer to about 100 patents UMB secured for its work on Zonulin.

Dr. Blake Paterson, a former Eli Lilly executive, launched Alba Therapeutics to commercialize Fasano's discoveries.

The company, which recently closed a $30 million Series A venture round, has begun human testing of its new drug to treat Celiac disease, which is triggered by gluten, a mixture of proteins found in common food grains such as wheat, rye and barley. In autoimmune diseases, the body mistakenly produces antibodies, -- normally used to protect cells from viruses or bacteria -- that attack healthy tissues.

The Phase I study is the first in a long and arduous series of steps the young biotechnology company will face in hopes of winning U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for AT-1001, the drug Alba Therapeutics also thinks can treat Type 1 diabetes.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 3 million Americans have Celiac disease. Paterson said only about 100,000 patients are correctly diagnosed with the condition, because it's not accompanied by the usual intestinal symptoms of pain and diarrhea. He called it "a greatly underserved, underrecognized marketplace."