Loss of epithelial barrier integrity and function play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.  Although causal agents may differ among these indications, disease severity and outcome can often be linked to the breakdown and/or dysfunction of the epithelial barrier due to a self-amplifying cycle of adhesion protein degradation, immune activation, cytokine release, permeabilization, and further barrier dysfunction. 

viDA Therapeutics (viDA) has identified the serine protease Granzyme B (GzmB) as a destructive enzyme that cleaves critical adhesion proteins that are essential for maintaining epithelial barrier integrity and function. GzmB has been validated as a therapeutic target in several animal and human models of disease.  Moreover, a beneficial role supporting pharmacological inhibition of GzmB in animal/humanized models of disease has been demonstrated with our lead candidate VTI-1002. 

We are moving VTI-1002 forward in applications treating dermatological and ocular disease indications. To our knowledge, viDA is the only company actively targeting GzmB and barrier integrity as a therapeutic strategy to attenuate disease onset and/or the progression of disease. 

viDA is a biotechnology company established from research conducted in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Our scientific founder, Dr. David Granville, is a recognized world leader in Granzyme research (www.granzymes.com). Dr. Granville and his team are responsible for generating a wide body of research pertaining to the role of Granzyme serine proteases in disease, on which viDA’s intellectual property and technology is based.