VBL has developed its Monocyte Targeting Technology (MTT), as an investigational new and specific way to limit chronic inflammation.

Its program is based on the discovery of a novel target protein that is selectively expressed on the surface of monocytes and controls their ability to migrate (or 'walk' to) inflamed tissues.

This protein is called MOSPD2 (the "mono-walk" receptor).The company's lead MTT candidate, VB-601, is an investigational proprietary monoclonal antibody that binds the MOSPD2 ("mono-walk") receptor and is engineered to specifically block the ability of monocytes to reach inflamed tissues.

VB-601 is designed to offer a novel and differentiated approach in the landscape of current anti-inflammatory agents, most of which target pro-inflammatory molecules and work through T and B lymphocytes but are not targeted to the monocyte cells.Based on pre-clinical and human ex-vivo data, VB-601 has potential utility in a wide range of immune-inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), inflammatory bowel disease and other immune-inflammatory diseases.