ERC Proof of concept for a new treatment for severe pneumonia and fibrosis

The aim of the grant is the further development of an OGG1 inhibitor. The function of the OGG1 enzyme is to repair oxidant damage to DNA and to trigger inflammation. In an article published in Science in 2018, the research group showed how OGG1 inhibitors could reduce signals that can be related to both inflammation and fibrosis, such as TNF-α. “We’ll now be teaming up with Lund University to investigate if it also works on severe pneumonia and fibrosis, areas in which no treatments are currently available,” says Thomas Helleday, Professor at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, and also affiliated to SciLifeLab.

The researchers believe that they are looking at a more general anti-inflammatory mechanism. “We’ve therefore started collaborating with other research groups specialising in rheumatoid arthritis, liver fibrosis and psoriasis,” says Professor Helleday.

The most successful group

Professor Helleday’s group already has three previous ERC Proof of Concept Grants and two ERC Advanced Grants to its name. “We’re currently the most successful group in Sweden when it comes to ERC grants,” he says. “The key has been to create a multidisciplinary group with expertise in a range of fields, like cell biology, biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacology from both academia and industry. For this, the ERC grants have been absolutely essential.”

The discoveries concerning the OGG1 inhibitors are the product of the years of hard work that Professor Helleday’s group has devoted to researching how the body repairs DNA damage. The group hopes, amongst other things, to fight cancer by targeting the DNA of tumour cells and has reported several breakthroughs, the fruits of which include a new, highly effective treatment for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer that is used around the world.