17 April 2020 - - Japanese drugmaker Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd's (Tokyo 4596) US-based specialty ophthalmology company Kubota Vision Inc subsidiary, formerly known as Acucela Inc., has signed an Open Innovation Agreement with Danish pharmaceutical company LEO Pharma A/S to screen novel Vascular Adhesion Protein-1 (VAP-1) inhibitor compounds discovered by Kubota Vision, the company said.

LEO Pharma will evaluate the compounds in disease assays for potential therapeutic use in inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

During R and D activities to develop novel therapeutics for uveitis, diabetic macular edema, dry eye and post-operative eye inflammation, Kubota Vision discovered several novel VAP-1 inhibitors that are very potent and highly selective.

VAP-1 inhibitors, also known as Semicarbazide-Sensitive Amine Oxidase inhibitors, are a promising new class of drugs to treat inflammation-driven diseases.

While Kubota Vision has focused on inflammatory eye conditions, VAP-1 inhibitors can potentially be used for multiple inflammatory conditions, including acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by viral infections, such as COVID-19, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, diabetic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, certain cancers, and several other diseases.

LEO Pharma established its Open Innovation screening program to collaborate with external partners, including biopharmaceutical companies and academic institutions, to identify promising new therapies for inflammatory skin diseases.

As part of this collaborative initiative, LEO Pharma provides in-house expertise and unique research tools to screen promising molecules with potential in the dermatology field.