Inflammation is like a fire you just can’t put out—inflammatory disorders are chronic conditions after all. If your house is ablaze and you know a gas leak is the cause, dousing the entire home isn’t a targeted way to stop what’s feeding the flames, says John Puisis, co-founder and CEO of Cour Pharmaceuticals.

炎症就像火，你无法扑灭。毕竟，炎症性疾病是慢性病。Cour Pharmaceuticals联合创始人兼首席执行官约翰·普伊斯（JohnPuisis）表示，如果你的房子着火了，而你知道是煤气泄漏造成的，那么把整个房子浇上并不是阻止火势蔓延的有针对性的方法。

He compares his startup’s drugs to stopping fire at the source..

他把创业公司的药物比作从源头上阻止火灾。。

“We go into the basement, and we turn off the fuel valve completely,” Puisis said.

普伊斯说：“我们进入地下室，完全关闭燃油阀。”。

Cour’s technology found early validation in the hands of a large pharmaceutical company that picked up one of the biotech’s programs and is currently testing it in mid-stage clinical trials. Now the Chicago-based startup wants to do the same with its internal pipeline and it has raised $105 million for its plans.

库尔的技术在一家大型制药公司手中得到了早期验证，该公司接受了该生物技术的一个项目，目前正在中期临床试验中进行测试。现在，这家总部位于芝加哥的初创公司希望对其内部管道采取同样的做法，并为其计划筹集了1.05亿美元。

In doing so, Cour aims to show how its approach to inflammation stands apart from the company’s immunology peers..

通过这样做，Cour旨在展示其炎症治疗方法如何与该公司的免疫学同行脱颖而出。。

One of the hottest areas of autoimmune disease research involves harnessing regulatory T cells, or Tregs. These cells in our bodies counteract excessive immune responses. A slew of Treg startups—Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Gentibio, Abata Therapeutics, Quell Therapeutics, and Tr1X—are engineering Tregs to treat a variety of inflammation-driven conditions.

自身免疫性疾病研究中最热门的领域之一涉及利用调节性T细胞或Tregs。我们体内的这些细胞抵消了过度的免疫反应。许多Treg初创公司Sonoma Biotherapeutics，Gentibio，Abata Therapeutics，Quell Therapeutics和Tr1X是工程Tregs，用于治疗各种炎症驱动的疾病。

The jury is still out on these experimental cell therapies, which have limited, if any, clinical data so far. But Puisis, whose experience includes serving as CEO of autoimmune disorder drug developer Tolera Therapeutics, said one problem with Tregs is that immune suppression from these engineered cells can spread beyond their targets, leading to unwanted effects..

这些实验性细胞疗法目前仍没有定论，到目前为止，临床数据（如果有的话）有限。但普伊斯（Puisis）的经验包括担任自身免疫性疾病药物开发公司Tolera Therapeutics的首席执行官，他说Tregs的一个问题是，这些工程细胞的免疫抑制作用可能会扩散到其靶标之外，导致不良反应。。

“What’s interesting with us versus the others—I won’t name them—they’re doing generalized Tregs, you can actually get off-target spreading,” Puisis said. “We’re basically telling the body ‘don’t attack these cells anymore.’”

Puisis说：“我们与其他人相比，有什么有趣的地方-我不想说他们的名字-他们正在做广义Tregs，实际上你可以实现脱靶扩散。”。“我们基本上是告诉身体‘不要再攻击这些细胞’。”

Cour does not engineer cell therapies. The company works with nanoparticles that trick the body into thinking that they’re cells. Inside of these particles is an antigen for a particular autoimmune disease. The composition of all Cour drug candidates is the same, with the exception of the disease-causing antigen encapsulated within.

Cour不设计细胞疗法。该公司使用纳米颗粒，诱使人体认为它们是细胞。这些颗粒的内部是一种特定自身免疫性疾病的抗原。除了包封在其中的致病抗原外，所有候选药物的组成都是相同的。

Cour’s nanoparticles are about the same size as a cell, which is important as they circulate throughout the body. Too large, and they could cause clotting problems, Puisis said. Too small, and the immune system won’t recognize them..

库尔的纳米颗粒与细胞大小大致相同，这一点很重要，因为它们在体内循环。太大，可能会导致凝血问题，普伊斯说。太小了，免疫系统无法识别它们。。

Recognition is key to how Cour’s therapies reprogram the immune system, Puisis said. Immune cells that provide surveillance for the immune system pick up the nanoparticles and take them to the spleen, which makes white blood cells, and the liver, which plays a role in the adaptive immune response. Released in these organs without any accompanying inflammatory signals, the immune system perceives the antigens as belonging to the body.

普伊斯说，认识是库尔疗法如何重新编程免疫系统的关键。为免疫系统提供监视的免疫细胞会将纳米颗粒带到脾脏（产生白细胞）和肝脏（在适应性免疫反应中起作用）。在这些器官中释放而没有任何伴随的炎症信号，免疫系统感知抗原属于身体。

The body then produces Tregs that migrate to the site of disease to tamp down immune responses to that antigen..

然后，身体产生Tregs，这些Tregs迁移到疾病部位，以抑制对该抗原的免疫反应。。

Cour’s technology is based on decades of research by Stephen Miller, a professor of microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University. The startup’s initial focus was celiac disease, an immune response to gluten in certain foods. Preclinical research presented and published in 2015 described how nanoparticles can be generated from biocompatible compounds and used to deliver an antigen to restore immune tolerance.

库尔的技术基于西北大学微生物学免疫学教授斯蒂芬·米勒（StephenMiller）数十年的研究。这家初创公司最初的重点是乳糜泻，这是一种对某些食物中的麸质产生的免疫反应。2015年发表的临床前研究描述了如何从生物相容性化合物中产生纳米颗粒，并用于递送抗原以恢复免疫耐受。

Soon after, Takeda Pharmaceutical began a partnership on the Cour celiac disease therapy. Takeda licensed this therapy in 2019 and is now responsible for its clinical development. Meanwhile, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals holds an option to license a different Cour therapy for primary biliary cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease affecting the bile ducts of the liver..

不久之后，武田制药开始合作治疗乳糜泻。武田于2019年获得该疗法的许可，目前负责其临床开发。同时，Ironwood Pharmaceuticals可以选择对原发性胆汁性胆管炎（一种罕见的影响肝脏胆管的自身免疫性疾病）进行不同的治疗。。

Puisis isn’t ruling out more pharma alliances, but for now, he said Cour is focusing on developing its own pipeline. Cour’s nanoparticles can encapsulate multiple antigens to address diseases driven by more than one antigen, such as type 1 diabetes. That disease and the rare muscle disorder myasthenia gravis are Cour’s lead indications.

Puisis不排除建立更多的制药联盟，但他表示，目前，Cour正专注于开发自己的渠道。Cour的纳米颗粒可以包裹多种抗原，以解决由多种抗原驱动的疾病，例如1型糖尿病。这种疾病和罕见的肌肉疾病重症肌无力是库尔的主要适应症。

Cour selected these diseases because the few available therapies for them leave patients wanting for something better, Puisis said..

普伊斯说，库尔之所以选择这些疾病，是因为很少有可用的治疗方法让患者想要更好的东西。。

Drug hunters have pursued antibody therapies for both diseases. The 2022 approval of Provention Bio’s antibody Tzield made that therapy the first FDA-approved treatment for delaying type 1 diabetes progression. Sanofi acquired Provention for $2.9 billion last year. In myasthenia gravis, Argenx markets two antibody fragments, Vyvgart and Hytrulo.

药物猎手一直在寻求针对这两种疾病的抗体疗法。2022年，Provention Bio公司的antibody Tzield获得批准，使该疗法成为FDA批准的第一种延缓1型糖尿病进展的疗法。去年，赛诺菲以29亿美元收购了普罗旺斯。在重症肌无力中，Argenx销售两种抗体片段，Vyvgart和Hytrulo。

Last year, UCB won FDA approval for two myasthenia gravis therapies, Rystiggo and Zilbrysq. While Rystiggo is an antibody that works similarly to Argenx’s drugs, Zilbrysq is a peptide that addresses a different target..

去年，UCB获得了FDA对两种重症肌无力疗法Rystiggo和Zilbrysq的批准。虽然Rystiggo是一种与Argenx药物类似的抗体，但Zilbrysq是一种针对不同靶标的肽。。

The approved type 1 diabetes and myasthenia gravis therapies are chronic treatments, like regular applications of fire suppression that do not extinguish the fire for good. In addition to potentially better efficacy, Cour aims to offer patients long-lasting effects. Puisis said preclinical research suggests the effect of Cour’s therapies last for the lifetime of the animal.

经批准的1型糖尿病和重症肌无力疗法是慢性疗法，就像定期使用灭火剂一样，不能永远灭火。除了可能更好的疗效外，Cour还旨在为患者提供持久的效果。普伊斯说，临床前研究表明，库尔疗法的效果持续到动物的一生。

To be fair, developers of engineered Tregs also say their therapies may offer long-lasting effects. The durability of both types of treatments still must be shown in human testing. But one advantage that Cour could have over Tregs is manufacturability. Making a therapy from nanoparticles is less expensive and more easily scalable compared to engineering a patient’s cells or donor cells into cell therapies..

公平地说，工程Tregs的开发人员也表示，他们的疗法可能会产生持久的效果。这两种治疗方法的耐久性仍然必须在人体测试中显示出来。但Cour可能优于Tregs的一个优势是可制造性。与将患者的细胞或供体细胞工程化为细胞疗法相比，用纳米颗粒进行治疗更便宜，更容易扩展。。

Cour’s Series A financing was co-led by Lumira Ventures and Alpha Wave Ventures. Other investors include Roche Venture Fund; Pfizer, through its Pfizer Breakthrough Growth Initiative; Bristol Myers Squibb; Angelini Ventures; and the JDRF T1D Fund. Puisis said the financing will support the advancement of both of its programs through Phase 2a clinical development.

Cour的A系列融资由Lumira Ventures和Alpha Wave Ventures共同领导。其他投资者包括罗氏风险基金；辉瑞，通过其辉瑞突破性增长计划；百时美施贵宝；Angelini Ventures；和JDRF T1D基金。普伊斯表示，这笔资金将通过2a期临床开发支持这两个项目的推进。

As for Cour’s name, Puisis said it’s derivative of the word “courage” and is the brainchild of one of the startup’s scientists..

至于库尔的名字，普伊斯说它是“勇气”一词的派生词，是这家初创公司的一位科学家的主意。。

“You need a lot of courage to be in biotech and to be in the discovery business,” Puisis explained.

“从事生物技术和发现业务需要很大的勇气，”普伊斯解释道。

Photo by Flickr user Peter Hill via a Creative Commons license

Flickr用户PeterHill通过知识共享许可拍摄的照片

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Quantum Health’s Chief Product Officer, Dan Shur talks about the company’s recent Index Report on the changing landscape of healthcare consultants.

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Heard at HLTH: Clarify Health

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Todd Gottula, co-founder and president of Clarify Health, discusses how their analytics platform promises to power higher margins and higher value care for its customers.

Clarify Health联合创始人兼总裁托德·戈图拉（ToddGottula）讨论了他们的分析平台如何承诺为客户提供更高的利润率和更高的价值关怀。

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