Urticaria is an inflammatory skin disease affecting over 60 million people worldwide. The disease is driven by activated skin mast cells releasing histamine and a plethora of other inflammatory mediators causing itchy wheals and/or deep tissue swelling (angioedema). Currently, antihistamines or antibodies directed against IgE are used for treatment, but for many patients these therapies do not achieve the desired success. This is where the Eurostars project MastCURe comes in. The innovative approach of the research project aims to directly and selectively suppress abnormal mast cell activation as the driving disease mechanism. The Fraunhofer ITMP Immunology and Allergology IA in Berlin is cooperating with the consortium partners Allegria Therapeutics (project coordinator) and Cube Biotech on first-in-class therapies to improve patients’ quality of life. The Eurostars project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and Innosuisse, the Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion.

“Chronic urticaria significantly affects patients’ quality of life, and many sufferers still report insufficient disease control, highlighting a substantial unmet medical need. Despite therapeutic advances, a substantial portion of patients still suffer from persistent, uncontrolled symptoms,” says Dr. Jörg Scheffel, Head of Drug and Solution Discovery Division at the Fraunhofer ITMP. “The project funding allows us to accelerate the development of a novel therapeutic approach and provide a meaningful new treatment option.”

“By providing our NativeMP™ technology to the MastCURe consortium, we aim to enable a deeper understanding of mast cell–related membrane proteins and support the development of innovative therapeutic strategies that could ultimately offer better treatment options for patients with chronic urticaria,” explains Dr. Barbara Maertens, co-founder and COO of Cube Biotech.

“Precision therapies allow us to selectively influence specific cell types and signaling pathways and disrupt disease-causing biological processes with greater efficacy and safety,” adds Dr. Maria van Dongen, co-founder and CEO of Allegria Therapeutics. “We are delighted about the Eurostars funding, which enables this project and significantly strengthens our mission to provide more effective therapeutic options for patients with a broad spectrum of allergic and inflammatory diseases.”