Work at Bellbrook Labs LLC has led to the identification of cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (MB21D1; cGAS) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has entered into a drug discovery collaboration and option agreement with Shattuck Labs Inc. to generate bifunctional fusion proteins.
DP Technology Ltd. has nominated DPT-0218, a novel small molecule targeting Kv1.3, as a preclinical candidate for the treatment of various autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and atopic dermatitis.
Tr1x Inc. announced a $75 million series A financing to advance universal allogeneic regulatory T (Treg) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-Treg cell therapies into the clinic to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Kyverna Therapeutics Inc. disclosed a filing to raise up to $100 million in an IPO, becoming the sixth firm to announce plans for a U.S. listing in the new year, offering tentative hope that the public markets might prove more welcoming to biopharma firms after a lackluster 2023.
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA for AUR-200, a potential next-generation therapy for B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.
CAR T-cell therapies have worked well at curing blood malignancies, but a group out of the University Hospital of Erlangen have repurposed the technology as a treatment for autoimmune diseases. The expansion into new diseases has required cooperation between multiple departments, with CAR T experts taking the lead on treatment and potential side effects, and rheumatologists measuring the outcomes of the treatment.
Seismic Therapeutic Inc. has closed a $121 million series B financing to support progression of the company’s two lead programs through clinical proof of mechanism.
Anaptysbio Inc. has signed an exclusive license agreement for Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc’s blood dendritic cell antigen 2 (BDCA-2) modulator antibody portfolio, including lead asset CBS-004 (to be renamed ANB-101) and related family of backup antibodies, for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Trex Bio Inc. has announced its selection of a new development candidate, TRB-061, designed to selectively agonize TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2), a mechanism with potential across a broad range of autoimmune indications.