MEOX1: a novel druggable target that orchestrates the activation of fibroblasts in cardiac fibrosis
David Schumacher, Fabian Peisker, Rafael Kramann
Abstract
Single-cell genomic technology has been used to identify MEOX1 as a potential cell-specific, druggable target in cardiac fibrosis. To this effect, a landmark study was recently published in Nature by Alexanian and colleagues. While there is broad interest in developing novel antifibrotic therapeutics, currently, only nintedanib and pirfenidone have been approved to treat fibrosis for one disease entity; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. 2 Both drugs interfere with pro-fibrotic growth factor signaling. Various other anti-fibrotic approaches are currently under investigation. These include small molecules or antibodies interfering with different cytokines involved in fibrosis, senolytic drugs, drugs targeting metabolic changes and macrophage-fibroblast crosstalk and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy targeting active fibroblasts. 2 However, none of these approaches have brought anti-fibrotic therapeutics to the clinic and novel therapeutics are still urgently needed.