Constellation Pharmaceuticals awarded grant to facilitate study of epigenetic control of inflammation

Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company in the field of epigenetics, today announced that it has been awarded a research grant in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to explore the potential use of BET bromodomain inhibitors for the control of inflammation in cystic fibrosis.

"This research grant will facilitate the study of the epigenetic control of inflammation, an area of active research at Constellation, in the context of a disease for which the treatment options are very limited," commented Jose Lora, Ph.D., executive director of preclinical sciences at Constellation.

Through the grant, Constellation Pharmaceuticals will collaborate with the laboratory of Jay Kolls, M.D., director, Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and professor of pediatrics and immunology at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Kolls' laboratory is a pioneer in the mechanistic understanding of cystic fibrosis, and has made fundamental contributions to the concept of inflammation as a key component of the pathophysiology of this disease.

The research supported by this grant will test the preclinical efficacy of novel anti-inflammatory compounds to reduce potential lung-damaging inflammation in people with cystic fibrosis.