MCT8 is an important transporter protein for the correct trafficking of thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone was long believed to be able to enter into cells without the need for specific transporters, and it was only in 2000 that MCT8 was described as the first thyroid hormone specific transporter.

Our lead product candidate, Emcitate® , is under development for treatment of several conditions of thyroid hormone signalling dysfunction. Thyroid hormone is a key metabolic regulator in the human body with effects on almost all cell types and plays an important role in the development and proper function of multiple organs. To adequately perform its normal role, thyroid hormone needs to be produced correctly and in the right amount, transported to its place of activity and ultimately bind successfully to its receptor within the cell nucleus. A disruption in any of these steps will impair the body’s possibility to adequately perform and regulate thyroid hormone signalling and cause dysfunction of various cells and organs resulting in different symptoms depending on the type and nature of the defect.