Bechet's Disease

The typical course of Behcet's disease is relapsing-remitting and entails significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in cases with ocular, vascular, and neurological involvement. Protheragen provides the full spectrum of services required to assist in the advancement of novel diagnostics and therapeutics for Behcet's disease.

Overview of Bechet's Disease

Bechet's disease (BD) is an uncommon chronic multisystemic disease with prolonged inflammation, characterized by repeatedly occurring skin lesions at both the mouth and genitals along with major organ systems' involvement like eyes, the central nervous system (CNS), blood vessels, and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Young adults are more likely to be affected, with a greater incidence in males. BD has a unique geographical distribution, being more frequent in areas along the ancient Silk Road such as the Mediterranean basin, Middle East, and East Asia.

Pathophysiological analysis of Behcet's disease.

Fig.1 Pathophysiology of Behcet's disease. (Nguyen A., et al., 2021)

Diagnostics Development for Bechet's Disease

Femoral Vein Wall Thickness Measurement

Recent studies have indicated that CFV (common femoral vein) thickening observed with Doppler ultrasonography presents a promising diagnostic option. There is sensitivity and specificity above 80% for this method at a cutoff of 0.5 mm. Given its non-invasive nature and cost effectiveness, it remains a viable diagnostic method for BD.

Genetic and Molecular Markers

Current research aims at discovering genetic and molecular markers that would assist in diagnosing BD. The diagnosis of BD might be aided by the association with HLA-B51 and other identified loci from previous genome-wide association studies.

Therapeutics Development for Bechet's Disease

Conventional Immunosuppressives
In the context of remission's induction and sustained management, traditional immunosuppressive drug therapeutics including glucocorticoids (GCs), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), azathioprine, and cyclosporine A are employed. All of them are helpful for inflammatory control and organ protection, but adverse effects are a concern.
Small Molecule Inhibitors
Apremilast, already approved small molecule oral ulcer therapeutics for Behcet's Disease (BD), is a known phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor. Such therapies provide effective intervention for particular symptoms and have heralded better care in the past.

Biologic Agents
Intervention by biological agents focusing on pro-inflammatory cytokines demonstrates a response to more difficult-to-treat cases of BD. Significant benefits in controlling disease activity and improving the quality of life in patients with BD have been noted with the use of TNF-α inhibitors (infliximab, adalimumab), IL-1 inhibitors (anakinra, canakinumab), IL-6 inhibitors (tocilizumab), and IL-12/IL-23 inhibitor (ustekinumab).
Other Therapies
Other approaches of therapy use topical therapeutics for mild mucocutaneous and joint involvement, NSAIDs, and colchicines. For best disease control results, these agents are often combined with conventional immunosuppressants or immunobiologics.

Our Services

At Protheragen, we offer comprehensive services for the development of diagnostics and therapeutics for Bechet's Disease. Our state-of-the-art facilities and experienced team of scientists are dedicated to advancing the understanding and therapeutic development of this complex disorder. We provide a range of services, including:

Diagnostics Development

Therapeutic Development

Disease Models

HLA-B51 Transgenic Models
Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)-Induced Models
Streptococcal Infection Models
Heat Shock Protein (HSP)-Induced Models

Protheragen's preclinical research services for Bechet's disease are designed to accelerate the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.

References

Nguyen, Anthony, et al. "Behcet's disease: an in-depth review about pathogenesis, gastrointestinal manifestations, and management." Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases 6.4 (2021): 175-185.
Alibaz-Oner, Fatma, and Haner Direskeneli. "Advances in the treatment of Behcet's disease." Current rheumatology reports 23.6 (2021): 47.
Alibaz-Oner, Fatma, and Haner Direskeneli. "Update on the Diagnosis of Behcet's Disease." Diagnostics 13.1 (2022): 41.