TEC INHIBITORS- A NEW THERAPEUTIC FOR ALLERGIC DISEASES

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The incidence of allergic diseases such as
atopic dermatitis (AD) has been dramatically increasing in the US and other
industrialized countries for the past two decades. We and others have
demonstrated that Tec family protein-tyrosine kinases have crucial roles in the
activation of immune cells elicited by the engagement of antigen receptors or
Fc receptors. As such, these kinases are supposed to play critical roles in the
pathogenesis of AD and other allergic diseases that involve the activation of T
and B lymphocytes, mast cells, and eosinophils. We recently identified a
small-molecule compound, terreic acid (TA), as a selective inhibitor of Tec
family kinases. In addition, we recently established highly efficient
experimental conditions to rapidly induce skin lesions in AD-prone NC/Nga mice.
Using this mouse model, we propose to explore whether TA or related compounds
are therapeutically efficacious as a treatment of AD. Since we have a screening
method for searching for Tec inhibitors whose usefulness has been proven, we
will also expand our search for better compounds.