REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- 1 March, 2025 -- Akthelia's CSO and his collaborators at the University of Iceland, Karolinska and Akthelia have published a review paper with the title "Host-directed therapies modulating innate immunity against infection in hematologic malignancies" in Blood Reviews.
Patients with hematologic malignancies (are highly susceptible to bloodstream infection (BSI), particularly those undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy. A common and debilitating side effect of chemotherapy is oral and intestinal mucositis. These Patients are also at high risk of developing sepsis, which can arise from mucosal barrier injuries and significantly increases mortality in these patients. While conventional antibiotics are effective, their use can lead to antimicrobial resistance and disrupt the gut microbiota (dysbiosis). In this review, we discuss utilizing host defense peptides, key components of the innate immune system, and immune system inducers to maintain mucosal barrier integrity against infection, an underexplored host-directed therapy approach to prevent blood stream infections and sepsis. The authors advocate for the discovery of potent and safe inducers for clinical use and call for further research into the mechanisms by which these compounds induce host defense peptides and strengthen mucosal barriers.
The article which is funded by the Horizon 2020 IN-ARMOR projects highlights the background and opportunity in employing immune system inducers to strengthen barrier defenses in patients suffering from hematological malignancies.
ABOUT AKTHELIA PHARMACEUTICALS
Akthelia Pharmaceuticals is a pioneering biopharmaceutical company, focusing on therapeutics that target mucosal barrier injury and epithelial integrity, via a novel biology-driven immunotherapeutic strategy that upregulates epithelial surfaces.
Akthelia's lead program is a late preclinical stage asset with potential to be a first-in-class oral therapeutic addressing the large unmet need to improve cancer care outcomes by reducing the risk of chemotherapy-induced bloodstream infections. Akthelia's platform also addresses the urgent global threat of antibiotic bacterial resistance (AMR).
CONTACTS
Egill Masson CEO egill.masson@aktheliapharma.com
Akthelia Pharmaceuticals Grandagardi 16 101 Reykjavik Iceland