Summary: The National Eye Institute seeks research co-development partners and/or licensees for a STAT3 antibody that can suppress uveitis.
Description of Technology: Uveitis is caused by inflammation in the eye that causes pain and reduce vision in affected patients. Rates of uveitis in the United States occurs 1 in every 200 people with eye-related irritation. Permanent damage, such as vision loss, occurs if uveitis goes untreated. Prolonged use of drugs that help treat chronic uveitis, such as periocular or intravitreal corticosteroid injections, can cause serious side-effects such as glaucoma. Therefore, finding alternative treatments for uveitis is an imperative.
Signal transducers and activators of transcription-3 (STAT3) regulates the differentiation of pathogenic Th17 lymphocyte cells implicated in several autoimmune diseases. Genetically modified mice incapable of inducing Th17 cells are resistant to developing uveitis. Therefore, targeting the STAT3 pathway required for the differentiation and expansion of Th17 cells has been proposed as a potential therapy for mitigating uveitis. However, the major impediment to therapeutically target intracellular proteins – such as STAT3 – is the inability to deliver inhibitors inside cells.
Scientists at the NEI have discovered a novel STAT3-specific nanobody (SBT-100) that can cross the blood-retina-barrier (BRB), inhibit pathogenic Th17 lymphocytes and suppress experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). The antibody’s small size, rapid clearance from the blood and sequence similarity with mammalian STAT3 render SBT-100 non-immunogenic. These factors provide important advantages for its therapeutic use not only for chronic uveitis, but also for inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis.
• Therapeutic for uveitis
• Therapeutic for multiple sclerosis
• Non-immunogenic compared to current uveitis treatments
• Novel STAT3-specific nanobody
• Crosses the blood-retina-barrier (BRB)
• Rapid blood clearance
• Sequence similarity with mammalian STAT3
• Potential multi-use for central nervous system autoimmune diseases and other autoinflammatory diseases