- LASN01 is a potent inhibitor of IL-11 signaling
- Inhibition of IL-11 receptor shows anti-fibrotic effect in multiple preclinical models
- LASN01 is rapidly advancing toward clinical evaluation
San Diego, CA, May 17, 2022 – Lassen Therapeutics, a biotech company developing breakthrough antibody therapeutics as potential treatments for fibrosis, rare diseases and oncology, is presenting new preclinical data on LASN01, a novel interleukin-11 (IL-11) receptor-blocking antibody, today at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Annual Meeting being held in San Francisco. The data demonstrate that LASN01 is a potent inhibitor of IL-11 signaling and shows anti-fibrotic effects in multiple preclinical models.
“IL-11 is a key biological mediator in many fibrotic diseases including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,” said David King, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Lassen. “We are presenting data on the ability of LASN01 to block signaling through the IL-11 receptor (IL-11R) leading to clear effects on fibrotic biomarkers in human tissue, as well as reducing lung fibrosis in preclinical tissue models. Combined, these data strongly indicate the potential of LASN01 as a novel therapeutic approach for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other fibrosing interstitial lung diseases.”
Highlights of the translational data presented on LASN01 are as follows:
In vitro assays demonstrated potent blockade of IL-11-stimulated signaling by LASN01 and inhibition of TGF-β-stimulated collagen expression by patient-derived IPF fibroblasts. In ex vivo assays using normal human lung tissue, LASN01 inhibited TGF-β-stimulated production of the fibrotic markers procollagen type I and tissue inhibitor of metallopeptidase 1 (TIMP1), and reduced collagen neo-epitope release from slices of diseased IPF lung tissue. Inhibition of IL-11R signaling also showed an anti-fibrotic effect in animal models of IPF. Studies showed a statistically significant reduction in lung fibrosis in both prophylactic and therapeutic models, concomitant with decreases in macrophage populations. In addition, LASN01 was shown to be well-tolerated with no obvious toxicity in a multiple dose study of non-human primates and is rapidly advancing toward clinical evaluation.
About Lassen Therapeutics
Lassen Therapeutics develops breakthrough antibodies as potential treatments for fibrosis, rare diseases, and oncology. The company’s lead candidate is LASN01, a best-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting IL-11 receptor (IL-11R). IL-11, a member of the IL-6 family of cytokines, is a central mediator of fibrosis and blocking its activity has the potential to be safer than and additive to other anti-fibrotic therapeutic approaches. IL-11 is also an important effector of tumor microenvironment organization, playing a key role as a mediator between cancer and stromal cells. For more information, please visit www.lassentherapeutics.com
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