De novo discovery of cyclic peptide inhibitors of IL-11 signaling.

Interleukin-11 (IL-11), a member of the IL-6 cytokine family, has potential pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic roles in pulmonary, hepatic, cardiovascular, renal and intestinal disease pathogenesis, including oncogenesis. The potential for therapeutic intervention in these disease spaces has therefore made the IL-11 signaling axis an attractive target in drug discovery, and antibody inhibitors of IL-11 signaling are currently under evaluation in Phase I/II clinical trials. While lower molecular weight small molecule and peptide inhibitors may offer the potential for improved tissue penetration, developability and manufacturing cost compared with a protein therapeutic, reports of such chemical matter in the literature are limited.