ETH Zurich Tandem Therapeutics

Targeting diseased microenvironment in fibrosis
Fibrosis is a defining character of several late stage organ diseases (liver, kidney, heart, lung and skin) and with no disease reversing anti-​fibrotic drugs currently available it is an immense burden in healthcare. The focus so far has been to target pathological cells that are difficult to access due to excessive extracellular matrix proteins surrounding it, i.e, its microenvironment. This reduces drug availability at target site and in turn its efficacy, while still causing toxic side effects.
To address this issue, we use a targeted approach that focuses on specific extracellular matrix proteins that actively drive disease progression. Our solution uses evolutionarily optimized peptides that target the drug payload into the fibrotic microenvironment, thereby enhancing the therapeutic index and reducing off-​target effects - bringing the right drug to the right target.
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