Immune-mediated diseases are a key therapeutic focus for Jnana given the growing body of data implicating multiple metabolite pathways in controlling immune cell fate and function. Immune cell activation in the disease environment requires rapid and prominent metabolic adaptations. Through targeting specific SLC transporters, we are aiming to activate or suppress cellular differentiation of specific cell populations to control and govern the desired immune response.

Aberrant immune cell activity is involved in numerous diseases ranging from autoimmune (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis), neurological (e.g. Parkinson’s), acute and chronic kidney diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease where Jnana is evaluating targets that can address gut barrier integrity as well as inflammation, central factors in both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s diseases.

Aberrant immune cell activity is involved in numerous diseases ranging from autoimmune (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis), neurological (e.g. Parkinson’s), acute and chronic kidney diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease where Jnana is evaluating targets that can address gut barrier integrity as well as inflammation, central factors in both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s diseases.

At Jnana, we are interested in diseases characterized by metabolite excess or deficiency, whether systemically or within a specific organ, where SLC modulators provide an effective means to rebalance metabolite levels. In these diseases, the metabolite concentration provides a clear translational path to the clinic, serving as a critical biomarker for patient selection and efficacy. Our focus is on inborn errors of metabolism in addition to complex diseases.

Jnana’s lead program is focused on an undisclosed genetic disease driven by a high systemic excess of a particular metabolite. Based on data from human biology and in vivo mouse experiments, we believe an inhibitor of a highly tissue-specific SLC transporter will be an effective therapeutic for these patients.

Jnana is also pursuing a program for Creatine Transporter Deficiency (CTD), an X-linked genetically defined disease caused by mutations in the creatine transporter, SLC6A8. Creatine is critical for the maintenance of energy metabolism in tissues with high energy demands, including the brain and muscle. CTD patients show reduced levels of creatine in the brain and exhibit developmental and language delays, intellectual disability, and oftentimes seizures. Currently, there is no effective treatment available for these patients. Many of the mutations identified in CTD patients result in misfolding of SLC6A8, retention in the endoplasmic reticulum, and reduced trafficking to the plasma membrane. Jnana is currently focused on the development of ‘corrector’ molecules which can enhance trafficking of these mutant transporters to the plasma membrane and restore creatine uptake.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is among the leading causes of death in the United States, and current therapeutics do not effectively treat the underlying causes of disease.¹ At its core, kidney physiology is driven by SLC transporters, which are responsible for excretion, reabsorption and systemic homeostasis of many important metabolites. Recent advances in the fields of genomics, metabolomics, and single cell RNA sequencing have identified many critical SLC transporters and their metabolites that are linked to kidney disease. Dysregulation of SLC transporters in the kidney can result in either build-up of toxic metabolites, or depletion of essential ones. Jnana is developing inhibitors of SLC transporters as therapeutics to regulate their associated metabolites and protect kidney function.

Reference
¹ The Next Generation of Therapeutics for Chronic Kidney Disease, Matthew D. Breyer, Katalin Susztak, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 2016, 15, 68–588