Advances in cathepsin S inhibitor design

John O Link1, Sheila Zipfel

  • 1Gilead Sciences Inc, 344 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA. john.link@gilead.com

Current Opinion in Drug Discovery & Development
|August 8, 2006
PubMed

Cathepsin S is expressed in antigen-presenting cells and plays a role in invariant chain processing and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) antigen presentation leading to CD4+ T-cell activation. An oral cathepsin S inhibitor that blocks MHCII antigen presentation could result in a T-cell-selective immunosuppressant agent with improved safety over the current standard of care for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune-based inflammatory diseases. This review focuses on advances in cathepsin S inhibitor utility and design since January of 2004.