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FivePrime Reports Discovery of IL-34

13 May 2008 - Science, researchers at Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. report the discovery of Interleukin34, a novel cytokine, as well as the identification of an IL-34 receptor.
 
"This work is a textbook example of how our platform enables us to make important new discoveries with secreted proteins, even in well-researched fields such as cytokine biology" commented Lewis T. ("Rusty") Williams, FivePrime's founder and Executive Chairman. He further added, "This discovery and the biological insights that resulted from it have provided multiple product opportunities in oncology and immunology".
 
IL-34, a previously undescribed ligand, was identified during a systematic screen of FivePrime's comprehensive collection of extracellular proteins across a diverse set of functional cellbased assays. IL-34 was found to potently increase the viability of primary monocytes while showing no activity against other cell types. This high degree of selectivity is attractive in considering therapeutic applications. Analysis of the IL-34 protein sequence revealed that it is unrelated to any other known cytokine and hence unlikely to have been discovered except through such a functional screening approach.
 
Using the same screening system, FivePrime was able to rapidly identify a receptor for IL34 by screening its collection of receptors against IL34stimulated monocytes. Knowing both the ligand and receptor helps complete the biologic profile and leads to both therapeutic protein and antibody product opportunities directed towards stimulating or inhibiting monocytes.