Ben-Gurion University‘s Peleg Rider has developed a drug that targets inflammation in a site-specific manner. This could improve the body’s ability to fight infection and reduce side effects.
When injected, it is a non-active drug. A localized site with excessive inflammation will activate it. Other anti-inflammatory agents inhibit inflammatory processes throughout the body, including sites of necessary normal inflammatory homeostasis.
When a non-specific agent is used, a patient who suffers from local inflammation might be exposed to infections at distant sites, such as the lungs. This risk is increased in immunosuppressed, older, and chemotherapy patients.