Scientists Leverage Cellular Recycling to Heal Chronic Diabetic Wounds
APTADEGRAD is developing LYTAC-based therapies to treat diabetic foot ulcers by removing excessive inflammatory proteins rather than just blocking them.
Diabetic foot ulcers are a major complication, affecting about 25% of diabetic patients, with high risks of amputation and mortality.
Current treatments focus on cleaning and dressing wounds; there are currently no approved disease-modifying drugs for this condition.
Understanding the Mechanism
Persistent wounds are driven by excess proteins like IL-1β, its receptor IL-1R1, and MMP-9, which trigger runaway inflammation.
The team uses Lysosome-Targeting Chimeras (LYTACs) to capture these proteins outside the cell and deliver them to lysosomes, the cell’s internal recycling system.
Unlike monoclonal antibodies that merely block proteins, LYTACs remove them from the environment, potentially reducing side effects.
Progress and Future Outlook
Laboratory studies show that these treatments successfully reduce inflammation and accelerate healing in diabetic wound models.
Researchers have developed both injection-based therapies and a hydrogel formulation for direct application.
The project, running until the end of 2027, aims to establish safety and effectiveness for human clinical trials potentially starting around 2030.