At the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) meeting in Barcelona, Lifordi Immunotherapeutics shared groundbreaking preclinical findings on LFD-200, their lead antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) designed to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The data highlighted LFD-200's ability to deliver a glucocorticoid payload directly to immune cells, achieving targeted therapy without the systemic toxicity associated with traditional steroid treatments.
The studies, conducted in mice and non-human primates, demonstrated that LFD-200 rapidly delivers its payload to immune cells, avoiding prolonged serum exposure and off-target tissue uptake. This targeted approach resulted in sustained glucocorticoid exposure in immune tissues for over seven days, a significant improvement over current treatments like dexamethasone, which showed negligible drug concentrations in most tissues within 24 hours post-dose.
Moreover, LFD-200 exhibited no evidence of systemic glucocorticoid toxicity after extended dosing periods, a common limitation of steroid therapies that can lead to severe side effects. In disease models, LFD-200 matched the efficacy of dexamethasone in preventing colitis and showed promise in treating other conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, asthma, and xeno-graft vs. host disease.
The implications of these findings are profound, offering a new therapeutic avenue for patients suffering from autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. By minimizing systemic toxicity while maintaining efficacy, LFD-200 could revolutionize treatment protocols across rheumatology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, and dermatology. Lifordi Immunotherapeutics anticipates initiating a Phase 1 clinical study in the coming months, with initial clinical data expected by the end of 2025.
