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Merck’s $1.9 billion deal for research into anti-inflammation, anti-fibrosis drugs. Um, Yoo-hoo…..

“We look forward to collaborating with the team at Mestag to identify new potential therapeutic options for patients with fibrosis and inflammatory diseases,” Levesque added.

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Mestag is specifically trying to develop drugs that control fibroblasts. Merck's scientists must be completely unfamiliar with CCR5.

Fibroblasts are implicated in cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases, MASH, kidney disease and more. CCR5 blockade limits the movement of CCR5 expressing fibroblasts to areas of high inflammatory/disease activity via downregulation of CCL5 (RANTES). Blockade reduces collagen and epidermal growth factor production by fibroblasts and can degrade collagen accumulation. Blockade also reduces fibroblast VEGF, HGF, a-SMA and TGF-b production (all bad). TGF-b can turn fibroblasts into myofibroblasts which produce extracellular matrix which is the foundation for tissue scarring. cancer associated fibroblasts also produce CXCL12 which helps suppress tumor destruction (CXCL12 downregulated by leronlimab). p53 (upregulated by leronlimab) can downregulate fibroblasts so leronlimab may have a direct control in fibroblast production.