Inflazome raises $46 million for NLRP3 inflammosome inhibitors

Inflazome, a start-up developing small-molecule drugs that combat inflammation, raised $46 million in its series B financing to launch its first clinical trials in 2019. Inflazome is focused on inhibiting an increasingly popular innate immune system target called the NLRP3 inflammasome. NLRP3 is a protein complex that stimulates the release of proinflammatory cytokines in response to injured cells. Inflazome believes its NLRP3 inhibitor could be useful against inflammatory bowel disease, gout, osteoarthritis, and even neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.