Researchers at the University of Sheffield have recently identified a novel protein family, Tribbles (trb), as regulators of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathways.  MAPKs are involved in the regulation of development, cell activation, proliferation and vascular contraction and are classified into at least three distinct groups (JNK, p38 and ERK kinases).  The academic team have shown that tribbles proteins modulate the activation of JNK, ERK and p38 MAPKs in a cell type and concentration specific manner.

The research has also shown that expression of one member of the Tribbles family, trb-1, has a strong anti-proliferative function in vascular smooth muscle cells which may be of physiological importance in the development and progression of atherosclerosis.  The observations reveal trb-1 to be a novel, central regulator of vascular smooth muscle cells function.  Furthermore, modulation of trb-1 has been shown to enhance the proliferation rate of human primary cells which is of use in several applications including tissue engineering, autologous skin grafts and industrial applications which require larger quantities of primary cells such as drug screening. 

 A patent application has been filed which includes:

• Methods for the use of Trb-1 modulators to promote the proliferation of mammalian cells, including vascular smooth muscle cells

• The use of  Trb-1 modulators as therapeutics

 Trb-1 has potential uses in:

• Increasing cell proliferation in human primary cells for use in:

o    Tissue engineering

o    Autologous skin grafts

o    Industrial scale tissue culture for drug screening

• The development of therapeutics for vascular proliferative disorders and inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis, restenosis, macular degeneration and psoriasis.

We are seeking a commercial partner to explore the commercial potential of Trb-1 as a target.