Rowland Hill Street England, NW3 United KingdomEngitix is the first biotech in the world applying human extracellular matrix (ECM) biomaterials for drug discovery and development in fibrosis and solid tumours. The ECM is the non-cellular component present within all tissues and organs and provides not only essential physical scaffolding for the cellular constituents but also initiates crucial biochemical and biomechanical cues that are required for tissue morphogenesis, differentiation and homeostasis. However, dysregulated ECM remodelling is associated with pathological conditions and can exacerbate disease progression such as fibrosis and cancer. The loss of tissue ECM homeostasis and integrity is seen as one of the hallmarks of cancer and typically defines transitional events in cancer progression and metastasis. Consequently, ECM molecules and/or mechanisms associated to ECM remodelling are important targets for pharmacotherapy. Unfortunately, until recently, ECM has been largely ignored in drug discovery. The rapidly increasing knowledge in the biology of the ECM will likely lead to compounds able to directly target the ECM with significant advantages in the treatment of chronic fibrogenic human and oncology diseases.

Rowland Hill street United Kingdom London, London, City of, NW3 2PF United KingdomEngitix is the first biotech in the world applying human extracellular matrix (ECM) biomaterials for drug discovery and development in fibrosis and solid tumours. The ECM is the non-cellular component present within all tissues and organs and provides not only essential physical scaffolding for the cellular constituents but also initiates crucial biochemical and biomechanical cues that are required for tissue morphogenesis, differentiation and homeostasis. However, dysregulated ECM remodelling is associated with pathological conditions and can exacerbate disease progression such as fibrosis and cancer. The loss of tissue ECM homeostasis and integrity is seen as one of the hallmarks of cancer and typically defines transitional events in cancer progression and metastasis. Consequently, ECM molecules and/or mechanisms associated to ECM remodelling are important targets for pharmacotherapy. Unfortunately, until recently, ECM has been largely ignored in drug discovery. The rapidly increasing knowledge in the biology of the ECM will likely lead to compounds able to directly target the ECM with significant advantages in the treatment of chronic fibrogenic human and oncology diseases.