An optimized version of CYM5442, initially developed by Rosen and fellow TSRI chemist Ed Roberts, has been licensed to the pharmaceutical company Receptos. It is now in Phase 3 clinical trials for treating relapsing - remitting multiple sclerosis and Phase 2 trials for ulcerative colitis. Other S1P1 receptor agonists are in development for inflammatory conditions. A less - specific S1P receptor agonist - which hits S1P1, but also hits S1P3, S1P4 and S1P5, with potential off - target effects -  is already approved for treating multiple sclerosis.

“We’d like to understand all the pathways through which S1P1 agonists work and, by pinpointing specific stop/start points, figure out how best to target those pathways with future drugs,” said Teijaro, who plans further studies with his colleagues to determine what other cell types are involved in orchestrating and possibly quieting the cytokine storm. “I’m hoping our work can further contribute to TSRI’s long track record of success in employing small molecule probes coupled to genetic and biochemical tools to provide biological insight into pathological disease processes.”

In addition to Teijaro, Rosen and Oldstone, the co - authors of the study, “Mapping the innate signaling cascade essential for cytokine storm during influenza virus infection,” were Kevin B. Walsh and Stephanie Rice, both of the Oldstone laboratory during the study.

Funding was provided in part by National Institutes of Health grants AI057160 (MBAO), AI055509 and MH084512 (HR) and American Heart Association Fellowship 11POST7430106 (JRT).

About The Scripps Research Institute

The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the world’s largest independent, not - for - profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs about 3,000 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists -  including three Nobel laureates -  work toward their next discoveries. The institute’s graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see http://www.scripps.edu.

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