FOCUS ON CORVAS INTERNATIONAL

Corvas International of California, USA, has recently announced the discovery of a novel and potent inhibitor of white blood cell activation, called neutrophil inhibitory factor, which it is hoped could form the basis of a completely new range of anti-inflammatory drugs.

The company discovered NIF via its program to evaluate products from natural sources, in this case the hookworm Ancylostoma caninum. Working on the premise that these parasitic worms reside in the host for extended periods of time without eliciting significant host cellular response to injury, the company attempted to isolate substances capable of blocking immune functions. NIF was subsequently identified, cloned and expressed by recombinant DNA techniques.

Molecular studies have shown that NIF interacts specifically with an integrin receptor on the surface of a subset of neutrophils known as CD11b/CD18 or Mac-1, blocking their activation and migration out of the blood vessels into the surrounding tissues. Many other research groups are attempting to mediate inflammation by using antibodies to target integrin receptors, but Corvas believes it may have the first natural inhibitor of the receptor.