Galapagos NV's potential new therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — which stimulates anti-inflammatory signals while inhibiting pro-inflammatory ones — will move into Phase 1 clinical testing, the company announced. The trial (NCT04106297), now recruiting participants in Belgium, will test the safety and tolerability of a second-generation molecule called GLPG3970. The molecule has successfully shown preclinical activity against a variety of inflammatory-based conditions, including psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and IBD.  IBD is a general term used to describe several chronic inflammatory disorders of the digestive tract. There are two main types of IBD: Crohn’s disease, characterized by inflammation of the digestive tract lining, and ulcerative colitis (UC), which causes ulcers (long-lasting inflammation) in the large intestine, known as the colon, and rectum. Anti-inflammatory medications such as corticosteroids usually are prescribed to treat IBD flare-ups. However, steroids can have unpleasant side effects, especially with long-term use.  Galapagos has identified a family of drug targets — proteins that play a role in the disease process — it has given the code name Toledo. Molecules that inhibit this target family produce a dual effect. They stimulate anti-inflammatory signal proteins, called cytokines, while at the same time inhibiting pro-inflammatory proteins.  Early in 2019, the company announced the launch of its Phase 1 safety trial (NCT03800472) of another first-generation, Toledo-targeted, anti-inflammatory molecule, called GLPG3312. Results of that trial are expected in early 2020.  In three preclinical IBD models, GLPG3312 demonstrated effectiveness against different inflammatory mechanisms. This is the first time