# drugs: the inhibitor MCC950 of NLRP3, a small molecule tested against many large diseases

<< It seems too good to be true: a single drug that could treat humanity's worst afflictions, including atherosclerosis, cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and arthritis. All of these diseases have one thing in common-they involve an inflammatory protein called NLRP3. >>

The molecule << MCC950 blocks NLRP3 with high specificity in the lab. However, a small clinical trial of the compound by Pfizer showed weaker potency than expected, as well as liver damage at high doses. Some companies are now using MCC950 as a starting point to design safer and more effective molecules, while others are trying to find inhibitors unrelated to the compound. Currently, several NLRP3 inhibitors with a range of mechanisms are in preclinical, Phase I and Phase II trials >>

One drug, many diseases. American Chemical Society. Feb 19, 2020. 

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-02-drug-diseases.html

Ryan Cross. Could an NLRP3 inhibitor be the one drug to conquer common diseases? Chemical & Engineering News. Vol 98, Issue 7. Feb 17, 2020

https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/drug-discovery/Could-an-NLRP3-inhibitor-be-the-one-drug-to-conquer-common-diseases/98/i7

Also 

keyword 'NLRP3' in ncbi.nih.gov

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/?term=NLRP3

keyword 'MCC950' in ncbi.nih.gov

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/?term=MCC950