LiMM Therapeutic was incorporated in 2018 to exploit the pioneering discoveries of Henrique Veiga Ferndandes lab (Paul Allen Distinguished Investigator at Champallimaud Foundation in Portugal) on the regulation on Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILCs) by neuronal cell derived signaling. In fact, in different tissues ILCs and neuronal cells constitute functional units that are key to regulate tissue homeostasis and that are able to combat infections or regulate immune reactions. Concretely:
- ILC2 are regulated by a neuropeptide Neuromedin U, a mechanism fundamental in infections and metabolic diseases
- ILC3 in the gut are regulated by neurotrophic factors leading to the production of local innate IL22, a mechanism fundamental for epithelial integrity in the gut and as so in gut inflammation and IBD