molecules of the month

What is it? GB0139 is a selective, inhaled inhibitor of galectin-3 and galectin-1 in Ph. II for IPF and COVID-19 pneumonitis, and is Galecto’s ($GLTO) lead asset. Galecto was founded in 2011 with Lund University academic galectin research leaders Ulf Nilsson and Hakon Leffler, and has had a research focus on galectin-3 modulators to treat fibrotic diseases. We recently covered another Galecto development compound, GB1211, a related oral galectin-3 inhibitor, Ph. I/II candidate, and September 2022 Molecule of the Month. With the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded for “click chemistry,” this molecule is an interesting example of a development candidate derived from an azide-alkyne cycloaddition. Galectin-3 as a target. Galectins are a relatively underexplored target class, despite academic research…