March 22, 2010 - Clinical Study Underway for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus — ChemoCentryx, Inc., announced that it has undertaken a Phase II clinical trial of CCX140, a novel, orally-available small molecule compound designed to specifically target the chemokine receptor known as CCR2. This receptor has been shown to play a role in the inflammatory response associated with metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, as well as other diseases including vascular restenosis following stent placement, and multiple sclerosis.Chronic inflammation is now thought to be central to the development of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Macrophages represent as much as 40% of the cell population in obese adipose tissue; the majority of these macrophages are derived from CCR2-positive monocytes recruited from the blood. CCX140 is a potent and selective antagonist of the CCR2 chemokine receptor. CCX140 works by blocking the monocyte/macrophage infiltration that occurs during inflammation and thus is designed to provide selective treatment of the disease without compromising other immune functions.... ChemoCentryx's Press Release -
