There is currently no treatment for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AT), a condition characterized by lung and liver damage caused by an inherited genetic mutation, but this may soon change. The Consortium Québécois sur la Découverte du Médicament – CQDM – is funding research on the rare A1AT deficiency by establishing an international collaboration.
Traffick Therapeutics, of which John Hanrahan, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer, will be one of the institutions involved in a $2+ million international collaborative project. Also involved is McGill University and Lead Discovery Center of Germany. The project will be funded by the CQDM with the goal of developing drugs to improve the quality of life for patients with A1AT. Traffick’s involvement in the consortium will be translational, applying research results to patients with this condition. Traffick Therapeutics’ previous successes include the development of treatment options involving the CFTR protein, helping patients with cystic fibrosis.
“This project is also an opportunity to test an approach that could be used to identify therapeutics for other protein trafficking diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis and Parkinson’s disease”
Dr. John Hanrahan
The completion of this project will strengthen Traffick Therapeutics’ position in the field of lung diseases and promote its corporate growth.”
Diane Gosselin, President and CEO of CQDM