Characterization of pharmacological efficacy of VX-148, a new, potent immunosuppressive inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor.

Inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) enzyme catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the de novo biosynthesis of guanine nucleotides. Proliferation of lymphocytes is critically dependent on this de novo nucleotide synthesis pathway. Hence, IMPDH is an attractive target for the development of immunosuppressive drugs.