BIMINI Biotech has received a €20,000 MIT feasibility grant for the AUTO-WASP project, supporting an assessment of WASp modulation as a potential therapeutic approach in autoimmune disease.

The Mkb-innovatiestimulering Regio en Topsectoren programme supports innovation projects by small and medium-sized companies and enables companies to assess the technical and economic feasibility of proposed innovations.

Extending the WASp platform into autoimmune disease

Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Protein (WASp) plays an important role in immune-cell signalling, migration, immune-synapse formation and cytokine release. Dysregulation of WASp function has also been associated with autoimmune conditions including colitis and arthritis.

Building on these observations, BIMINI identified autoimmune disease as a potential extension of its WASp modulation platform. AUTO-WASP will investigate the technical and economic feasibility of applying the approach in two autoimmune indications.

The feasibility study provides an early step towards determining where WASp modulation could offer a differentiated therapeutic mechanism outside oncology.

The AUTO-WASP project is supported by the Province of Zuid-Holland.