Treatment of Type II Inflammatory Disorders by Inhibiting Dkk-1 Activity

Dr. Bothwell and his colleagues at Yale have discovered a novel role of Dkk-1 in type 2 immune responses.
Upon environmental challenges, Dkk-1 is secreted from and circulated by platelets to facilitate leukocyte migration and polarize immune responses by inducing Th2 cell polarization.
Functional inhibition of Dkk-1 protects mice from chronic type 2 inflammation in house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma and Leishmania major cutaneous infection. • Dkk-1 is an attractive target for controlling type 2 immune responses.
Intellectual property: A patent application has been filed
Reference: Chae, Wook-Jin et al. (2016) Immunity. The Wnt antagonist Dickkopf-1 promotes pathological type 2 inflammation.