Galecto Biotech
Galecto Inc. is a clinical stage private biopharmaceutical company committed to the development of novel small molecule therapeutics directed at biological targets which are at the heart of fibrosis, inflammation and cancer. The company was founded by leading fibrosis-focused scientists and biotech executives and is built on more than 10 years of research into galectin and fibrosis modulators. Galecto's team has developed a deep understanding of the galectin family of proteins and the LOXL2 enzyme, and how both influence multiple biological pathways of these complex, often devastating, diseases.
The galectin-3 inhibitor, TD139, has the potential to treat many diseases due to its involvement in many key biological pathways such as cell differentiation, cell growth, and apoptosis. Galecto Biotech is using this inhibitor to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which is a progressive, irreversible and ultimately fatal lung disease that has poor prognosis and no effective therapies. Transforming growth factor is a major mediator of fibrosis and galectin-3 expression is highly upregulated in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. TD139 galectin-3 inhibitor, reduces the transforming growth factor -β signalling, ultimately showing a strong anti-fibrotic potential that may provide a novel treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
