Our Purpose

Mucokinetica Ltd. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of medicines to treat respiratory diseases. Our key expertise is in the treatment of diseases where accumulated mucus secretions are an important contributor to disease pathology. Such diseases include:

• Cystic fibrosis.
• Bronchiectasis.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Sinusitis.

Lung Hygiene

Every day of our lives we breathe in thousands of litres of air. The air carries dust, pollen, dander, bacteria and other microbes into the lungs.

Mucus secretions are an important component of a very sophisticated refuse disposal system that works day and night to keep our airways clean. It removes the inhaled debris that adheres to and is engulfed by mucus gel lining the airways.

The engine of this refuse disposal system is the surface layer of ciliated cells that populate all but the smallest airways in the lungs.

Ciliated Cells

• Ciliated cells are an important component cell type of the epithelium (surface layer of cells) lining the airways.
• The surface of each ciliated cell possesses over 100 hair-like projections, cilia.
• Cilia are only about five one-thousandths of a millimetre in length, 5µm.
• They interact with the surface of mucus gel overlying the epithelium.
• Cilia over large areas of the airway surface beat in a co-ordinated manner about 10 times per second.
• The engine that propels mucus and debris up and out of the airways is the co-ordinated beating of the cilia.

Mucociliary Propulsion

Mucociliary propulsion is a surface process. All of the action for effective movement takes place between the beating cilia and the 5 to 10 one-thousandth of a millimetre contact surface layer of mucus gel.

Mucus gel has both viscous and elastic properties essential for mucociliary propulsion. Mucus is a so-called "Smart" gel. A gel that is able to adjust its properties in response to the composition of its local fluid environment.

Cells of the epithelium regulate the composition of the fluid layer between the cilia and the surface of the mucus gel. Proficiency of mucociliary propulsion is controlled by:

1. Local regulation of the composition of the fluid layer.
2. Rapid adjustment of the properties of the contact surface layer of mucus gel.

Therapeutic Concept

• We are targeting therapeutic mechanisms that control the effectiveness of mucociliary propulsion.
• We seek to discover and develop medicines to treat diseases where this lung hygiene system under performs.
• By enhancing the performance of mucociliary propulsion we aim to:
  • reduce lung infections.
  • reduce chronic inflammation.
  • reduce decline in lung function.
  • improve quality of life
• Where appropriate we seek to work with partners with specialist skills and proprietary technology for drug delivery by inhalation.

Contact Information

To contact Mucokinetica Ltd e-mail : enquiries@mucokinetica.com

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