Immusol

Immusol was a San Diego-based biotechnology company that utilized a proprietary functional genomics platform called "Inverse Genomics" to identify disease-relevant genes and validate them as drug targets. The company's core technology involved the use of ribozymes to "knock out" gene expression, allowing for the discovery of novel targets in oncology and infectious diseases, particularly HIV and Hepatitis C. In 2008, the company shifted its strategic focus toward the clinical development of small molecule inhibitors and rebranded as iTherX Pharmaceuticals. Its most advanced program, ITX-5061, was a first-in-class scavenger receptor B1 (SR-B1) antagonist designed to inhibit HCV entry into liver cells.