VLST has identified and cloned over 70 novel virulence factors and identified the host targets for 9 of these virulence factors. Five programs have been selected to move forward into preclinical development. For each of these programs, viral knock outs of the virulence genes confirm their ability to function as suppressors of the immune system in vivo.

A wide variety of in vitro assays to assess the immunomodulatory potential of lead therapeutic candidates has been developed. Validation of immunomodulatory activity in these human in vitro assays will allow for prioritization of the most promising therapeutic candidates for in vivo evaluation.

In vivo studies designed to evaluate the efficacy of our potential therapeutic candidates in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are also underway. The studies will address increasingly complex questions relevant to eventual testing in the human clinical setting. These include: development of bioassays for potency and biomarkers for monitoring therapy; evaluation of the bio-availability of our therapeutic candidate, testing to evaluate the ability of our candidate to modulate acute inflammatory processes and determination of the ability of our candidates to modulate complex, chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.