The ERC PoC project "TreatBrainDamage" sought to translate the basic research findings generated in the ERC Consolidator Award "TissueTregs". The prior state was a demonstration that a genetic switch could be used in transgenic mice to make their brain more resilient to neuroinflammation. In the project "TreatBrainDamage" we generated a gene delivery system which directly translates this genetic switch into a product with potential clinical use. Our flagship product uses this technology to express microdoses of interleukin 2 in the brain, under the control of a small molecule inducer, and is able to prevent the inflammatory cognitive degeneration that occurs following normal ageing or traumatic brain injury, among other neuroinflammatory indications. The technology has been patented and published (Yshii et al, Nature Immunology 2022), and is now validated in multiple mouse models of neuroinflammation. In addition to this research activity, during the award period we incorporated a company, Aila Biotech (www.ailabiotech.com/) which was an option on the patent portfolio. We are currently fund-raising for the initial Seed investment round, with investment pitches and presentations at conferences, which will enable us to validate the humanised delivery system, pursue the flagship product through to toxicology and generate proof-of-concept validation of alternative high-potential biologics for neuroinflammatory conditions. Our approach to neuroinflammatory drug delivery is a conceptual shift, overcoming both issues of the blood-brain barrier and of off-target peripheral effects, giving it the potential to lead on a new class of highly efficacious drugs for unmet medical needs.
