Deltagen Inc has discovered a drug target, designated DT022I, for the potential treatment of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. DT022I marks the third drug development target announced by Deltagen to originate from its Inflammatory Disease Program.

DT022I, a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) of the chemokine subfamily, is expressed on a number of leukocyte subsets, including those that play significant roles as effector cells in inflammatory responses.

Experimental studies performed by Deltagen indicate that antagonism of DT022I, as modeled in knockout mice, may represent a potential treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. In this model, mice were challenged with monoclonal antibodies against type II collagen, a challenge known to induce an arthritogenic response. Control mice exhibited a severe inflammatory response in the joints, which shared many histological hallmarks with human rheumatoid arthritis, including bone and cartilage destruction. However, female mice, in which the gene responsible for DT022I was knocked out, appeared to be completely resistant to joint inflammation induced by the arthritogenic antibody challenge.

"Using our systems biology approach, we believe we have identified a novel target that has potential clinical applications in a variety of important inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis," said Mark Moore, chief scientific officer at Deltagen.