Powerful immune pathway: The complement system is one of the oldest known branches of the body’s natural immune system. Constantly poised for activation, the complement system is an “always on” immune surveillance system that “scans” all cells and sites in the body for harmful changes.

Schematic representation of the complement system, highlighting the central role the complement amplification loop has in the initiation of excessive inflammatory responses. In many chronic diseases, the complement system has been shown to be ‘over amplified’.

Robust and complex, the complement system is comprised of over 20 proteins and numerous biochemical reactions. In many chronic and life-threatening inflammatory and immune diseases, the complement system, especially the Complement Alternative Pathway, has been shown to be ‘out of balance’ and ‘over amplified’, resulting in severe inflammatory tissue damage.

Although the complement system has been an area of great interest for many years, its complexity has, in the past, created a significant challenge for drug developers.

New therapeutic frontier: Recent discoveries have opened the door to understanding the complex biochemical reactions and processes within the complement system. In particular, pioneering research performed over the past few years by Taligen’s founders and others have shown that mutations and polymorphisms of certain genes result in excessive activity of the amplification loop, with engagement of the full pro-inflammatory potential of the complement system and subsequent cellular damage. The understanding of these genetic variations and their associated diseases has highlighted the therapeutic potential of intelligently targeting the complement system by selectively regulating one of the key complement pathways.