NEW
YORK, Oct. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lupus
Therapeutics, the clinical research affiliate of the Lupus Research
Alliance, today announced a partnership with Nkarta, Inc. (Nasdaq:
NKTX), a biopharmaceutical company developing the engineered
natural killer (NK) cell therapy NKX019 for refractory lupus
nephritis that has not responded to standard treatment. Lupus
Therapeutics has provided advisory services and will support Nkarta
in early development through select sites of the Lupus Clinical
Investigators Network (LuCIN) comprised of top academic centers
throughout North America.
NKX109, an allogenic CD19-directed CAR NK cell therapy, is
currently being studied in oncology, but this is the first time the
therapy will be evaluated in lupus nephritis, an inflammation of
the kidney caused by lupus. NK cells are the body's first line of
defense against viral infections and cancers and have the innate
ability to seek and destroy harmful cells. The Nkarta NK cell
therapy platform leverages an off-the-shelf approach that
potentially could be less burdensome for patients during
treatment.
Lupus is a complex, heterogeneous autoimmune disease affecting
millions worldwide with wide-ranging symptoms from debilitating
fatigue to life-threatening organ damage. Lupus nephritis is one of
the most severe complications of lupus affecting the kidneys. Lupus
Therapeutics and the Lupus Research Alliance are committed to
accelerating the development of potential treatments for a
community in urgent need of more options.
"Lupus Therapeutics is pleased to collaborate with innovative
biopharmaceutical companies such as Nkarta to accelerate the
clinical evaluation of cell therapies as they advance through
development. Cell therapies, a potential curative therapy like none
other for lupus to date, are generating significant interest among
top researchers within our Lupus Clinical Investigators Network and
the lupus community," said Stacie
Bell, Ph.D., Lupus Therapeutics Executive Vice
President.
"Our advisory services focus on engaging the experts in the
scientific community, as well as those living with lupus, as key
contributors to treatment development endeavors to increase the
probability of success," added Dr. Bell.
Research that provided much of the foundation for the
development of CAR-T cell therapy, the first-generation cell
therapy approach currently in clinical development, for lupus was
funded in part by the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) Lupus
Innovation Award grant in 2014 to Marko
Radic, Ph.D. from the University of
Tennessee Health Science Center. Lupus Therapeutics, and
Lupus Research Alliance as a whole, are leading the way to
fundamental understanding, clinical development and evaluation and
the education about cell therapy for the treatment of lupus.
About Lupus
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune
disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90
percent of people with lupus are women; lupus most often strikes
during the childbearing years of 15-45. Black, Hispanic, Asian, and
Native American females and males are at greater risk than
Caucasians for developing lupus. In lupus, the immune system,
designed to protect against infection, creates antibodies that can
attack any part of the body including the kidneys, brain, heart,
lungs, blood, skin, and joints. Lupus nephritis is among the most
severe manifestations of SLE. Twenty to 65% of the estimated
220,000 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in the U.S. will
develop lupus nephritis.
About Lupus Therapeutics
Lupus Therapeutics, the clinical research affiliate of the Lupus
Research Alliance, aims to accelerate the development of curative
treatments for all individuals living with lupus. Lupus
Therapeutics collaborates with academic institutions,
biotechnology, and pharmaceutical partners through the
unprecedented Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN) to drive
rapid and meaningful progress in the treatment of lupus patients.
The organization elevates the patient voice, engages community
stakeholders, and strives for representation of the diverse lupus
community in the clinical research process with the most innovative
and renowned experts throughout North
America. Visit lupustherapeutics.org for more
information.
About the Lupus Research Alliance
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental,
non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization
aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus
research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and driving
discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and
ultimately, a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's
Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs,
100% of all donations goes to support lupus research programs.
Visit lupusresearch.org for more information.
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SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance