Coya Therapeutics announces new experimental COYA 302 data

Coya Therapeutics announced new experimental data presented at the 22nd Annual Northeast ALS, or NEALS, Consortium Meeting on October 4. Results of the in vitro study in samples from ALS patients highlight the deleterious role of M1 pro-inflammatory monocytes and macrophages in the ability of Tregs to maintain their immunomodulatory anti-inflammatory function and achieve immune homeostasis. Tregs are often dysfunctional in ALS, exhibiting low anti-inflammatory suppressive function. The degree of impaired Treg function has been shown to directly correlate with the severity and rate of progression of this life-threatening disease. Prior studies conducted by Dr. Appel and his team at the Houston Methodist Hospital demonstrated that dysfunctional Tregs from ALS patients can be successfully expanded ex vivo restoring their suppressive function, but when Tregs were infused back to the patients the anti-inflammatory function had limited duration. Subsequent studies have identified that the inflammatory environment created by myeloid cells could be a key contributor to the loss of Treg suppressive function. The present in vitro research work studied the interactions between expanded Tregs and activated monocytes and macrophages, and the ability of immunomodulatory drugs and other Treg-enhancing therapies to increase Treg anti-inflammatory function and suppress the pro-inflammatory function of the M1 phenotype of activated monocytes and macrophages.