Scientists at Exelixis Inc and the IMCB in Strasbourg, France, have identified and characterized a gene involved in mediating the innate immune response, a discovery that could have significant implications in treating a wide variety of human inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

The mutation of the immune deficiency gene or imd, has been studied for several years in the laboratory of Dr. Jules Hoffmann, a recognized leader in the field of insect innate immunity, at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Strasbourg. Imd had been previously shown to play a role in the innate immune response in the fruit fly, Drosophila. However the identity of the gene was not discovered until now. Through a collaboration established in 1999 between Exelixis and the Hoffmann laboratory, the gene was recently cloned and further characterized. The high degree of genetic conservation between the fruit fly and man in these biochemical pathways makes it likely the findings will be relevant to the human innate immune response, and will aid in the discovery of novel inflammation targets. Exelixis will retain all commercial rights to the use of the targets.

"This success of our model system genetics approach in inflammation adds an important new area to our already rapidly advancing internal programs in oncology, angiogenesis, and metabolism," said George A. Scangos, president and chief executive officer of Exelixis. "This target and others that we identify in the future may lead to important new therapies for arthritis and other significant human diseases."

"Our collaboration with Exelixis in identifying the imd gene is significant in the continued effort to understand the immune response," stated Jules Hoffman, Director of the CNRS Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology" in Strasbourg. "The high degree of similarity between the Drosophila and human innate immunity system reinforces the emerging concept of a common ancestry of host defense which probably evolved many hundreds of millions of years ago."