3Helix has developed a series of proprietary collagen hybridizing peptides that directly target the damaged collagen molecule. Collagen is the major component of nearly every human tissue, with an essential role in supporting cell growth and tissue formation. Damage to collagen is a strong indication of connective tissue injury, as well as a variety of diseases involving inflammation and abnormal tissue remodeling, such as cancer, myocardial infarction, arthritis, osteoporosis, and fibrosis. However, targeting damaged collagen is difficult with conventional technologies. In addition to providing CHP as a research tool for laboratory use in academia and industry, 3Helix is advancing its compounds to enable new pathways to achieve diagnostic and therapeutic objectives. 3Helix is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded by Drs. Yang Li and Michael Yu based on the technology that they invented at the Johns Hopkins University.
The team is currently focused on commercializing fibrotic diagnostics. CHPs allow clinicians to determine the progression of the fibrosis by monitoring the collagen turnover. One exciting use case Is a histopathology approach to stratify NASH patients to reduce unnecessary therapeutic intervention. Additional noninvasive approaches can be achieved using the CHP platform such as medical Imaging and serum testing.
