AX-202: A Promising Anti-S100A4 Therapy for Skin Fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis Models

The text discusses a study on AX-202, a monoclonal antibody that targets S100A4, a protein that acts as an alarm signal and plays a role in inflammation and fibrosis. The study aimed to evaluate the antifibrotic effects of AX-202 in two pre-clinical models of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to confirm the in vivo activity of the humanized version of the antibody.

The methods involved testing AX-202 in two models: the bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis model and the tight-skin 1 (Tsk-1) model. In the first model, fibrosis was induced by bleomycin injections, followed by AX-202 treatment. The second model involved treatment with AX-202 from week 5 to week 10. Control groups were also included in both models.

The results showed that AX-202 was effective in preventing the progression of skin fibrosis and inducing regression in both models. The effects were associated with a reduction in pSMAD3 expression. The humanized version of AX-202 also showed efficacy in preventing fibrosis and inducing regression at different dosages.

The study concluded that AX-202 has potent antifibrotic effects and is a promising potential therapeutic candidate for SSc or other fibrotic conditions, supporting previous findings on the inhibition of S100A4 by AX-202. Both the murine and humanized forms of AX-202 were well tolerated in the study.