SAN DIEGO, Nov. 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sentia announced today that it will bring to fruition several decades of academic research by developing a new generation of first in class drug candidates called astressins. Astressins are peptide antagonists that block the action of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) and urocortins, the main mediators of the body’s response to stress. CRF and urocortins are the factors that initiate and direct the stress response, and are crucial in controlling the autonomic, behavioral, endocrine, visceral, immune and reproductive responses to stress. Thus, astressins have broad applicability to treat multiple stress-related diseases. The new initiative will firstly prioritize gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and endocrine disorders.
Whereas the majority of diseases are presently treated for their symptoms, the underlying role of stress has long been ignored. Often stress results in disruption of biological body systems, leading to initiation or exacerbation of multiple diseases.
“Astressins offer the opportunity to induce and maintain homeostasis by inhibiting the signaling of CRF and urocortins at the CRF1 and CRF2 receptors. Thus, astressins could have broad applicability to multiple therapeutic areas,” said Jean Rivier, Founder and President of Sentia.
In the GI area, diseases of interest include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), postoperative ileus (POI), postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), gastroparesis and cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS). Astressins also provide a means to address certain endocrine disorders resulting from dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).
“CRF and the urocortins are involved in multiple aspects of GI function including enteric nervous system regulation, gut motility, gastric emptying, visceral pain, inflammation and barrier function. In addition, these factors are implicated in endocrine regulation of the stress response. Modulation of these biological processes will allow Sentia to capitalize efficiently on the astressin platform and bring new therapeutics to patients,” said Dominic Behan, CEO of Sentia.
About Sentia Medical Sciences Inc.
Sentia Medical Sciences Inc. is a privately held company with a vision to be the world leader in the development of novel peptide therapeutics to manage and cure stress-related diseases (www.sentiamedical.com).
Contact: Dominic Behan, Ph.D., D.Sc. Chief Executive Officer Sentia Medical Sciences Inc. 3550 General Atomics Court Building G02, Room 563 San Diego, CA 92121 858-886-7709 info@sentiamedical.com www.sentiamedical.com
