Inflammation is the body's protective response to an injury. If this response goes unchecked, however, it can end up doing more harm than good, which is what happens in a variety of inflammatory disorders. These cover a broad spectrum of conditions, including:

Although inflammation is the unifying factor among the diseases listed above, the treatment approach required for each type of inflammatory disease may be unique. For example: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, which produce inflammation and ulceration in the intestines, both result from a damaging inflammatory response involving the recruitment and activation of white blood cells that make up one of the immune system's early defense mechanisms. Ulcerative colitis causes bleeding and inflammation of the mucous layer lining the bowel and rectum, while Crohn's disease is an inflammation that extends deeper into all layers of the intestinal wall, and frequently involves both the small and large intestines. Current drug therapy for serious cases involves the use of drugs which suppress the immune system, and as a result carry a risk of infection and unwanted side effects, particularly when they are used over long periods. Many of the current therapies available today for inflammatory disorders treat only the symptoms of the disease, and not the underlying cause of inflammation.

Millennium, in collaboration with Aventis Pharma, is developing a range of therapies targeted to the disease processes underlying inflammatory diseases. Researchers are working to identify mechanisms of action common to multiple inflammatory diseases, and to merge new discoveries about the origins of these conditions with the extensive body of knowledge that exists within both companies. With an accurate road map of the inflammatory pathways involved, our scientists concentrate on developing therapies directed against specific points within the series of events that lead to inflammation, potentially addressing the root cause of diseases and their consequences, rather than symptoms alone.

Our scientists are investigating several new promising strategies for treat inflammatory diseases, including small chemical molecules that block continued recruitment of white blood cells to sites of inflammation, and custom-made antibodies targeted to specific docking sites on inflammatory cells to keep them from going into overdrive when the body calls them into action.

For information about Millennium-sponsored clinical trials of therapies for inflammatory diseases, call 800-589-9005.

Asthma, Allergy and COPD

Cardiovascular Disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Multiple Sclerosis

Rheumatoid Arthritis