Uncovering new microproteins in inflammation| MEDICUS 2024 Issue 3

Boosted by a US$1.85 million award from 65LAB and Duke-NUS’ newly established incubator LIVE Ventures, Ho’s team is now a step closer to their goal of developing first-in-class anti-inflammatory therapeutics that address this issue—by using inflammation-linked microproteins.

Commenting on what made Ho’s project stand out to 65LAB’s investors and partners, Dr Adam Stoten, who chairs 65LAB’s Joint Steering Committee, said: “Assoc Prof Ho’s project stands out for its first-in-class innovation and robust commercial strategy, offering significant potential for company creation.”

Microscope image showing one of many such microproteins MOCCI (stained red) discovered by Assoc Prof Ho's team // Credit: Lena Ho

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Ho’s team comprises Principal Research Scientist Dr Cheryl Lee and computational scientist Dr Sonia Chothani (Class of 2021) and together, they are now developing a unique platform that will enable them “to uncover hidden gems in the human genome to provide novel and high-value targets for anti-inflammatory therapeutics”, shared Ho.

“This will involve mining the human genome and proteome using next-generation sequencing techniques for potential candidates,” added Chothani. The team also plans to leverage the latest cutting-edge technology to predict the function of the identified proteins.

Lee, who will lead further investigations into the role of these proteins during inflammation, added: “We will then verify their function during an immune response by running the appropriate biochemical and cellular assays.”

It is an endeavour that Ho foresees will take about two to three years before the team is ready to progress to clinical trials: “We hope our efforts will uncover new targets and pathways that are previously unexplored with potential therapeutic benefits. Our team is well-positioned to execute this project with success.”

Microproteins hold mighty potential and as interest in this field expands, so will the competition. But with a solid boost in funding support, Ho’s efforts have cleared the launch pad, propelling her moonshot mission on its way into uncharted territories.