- LASN01, a fully human, clinical-stage antibody which binds to IL-11R, potently blocks IL-11 signaling to prevent IL-11 driven fibrotic diseases
San Diego, CA, September 11, 2023 – Lassen Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotech company developing first-in-class antibody therapeutics targeting interleukin-11 receptor (IL-11R, LASN01) as a potential treatment for fibro-inflammatory diseases including thyroid eye disease (TED) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and interleukin-18 binding protein (IL-18BP, LASN500) as a potential treatment for cancer, today announced new clinical and preclinical data generated with LASN01 at the 2023 European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress and the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Thyroid Association (ETA).
“I am very excited about the prospective clinical indications enabled by blocking IL-11R in multiple fibro-inflammatory diseases,” said Maria Fardis, PhD, MBA, CEO at Lassen. “Toward that, we have made significant progress in generating data with LASN01 in both clinical and nonclinical settings. We have completed our Phase 1 single ascending and multiple ascending dose cohorts and presented data from our healthy volunteer study at ERS. We also presented our preclinical data in a TED fibro-inflammatory disease model using orbital fibroblasts (OF) at ETA. The OF data strongly support development of LASN01 in TED.”
New Phase 1 Data for LASN01 in IPF Presented at ERS 2023
A presentation titled “A Novel Interleukin-11 Receptor Antibody, LASN01, is Well Tolerated and Demonstrates Target Engagement in Phase 1” described Phase 1 data showing that LASN01 was well tolerated in healthy volunteers, has dose linear pharmacokinetics (PK), and resulted in dose-dependent suppression of STAT3 phosphorylation. pSTAT3 inhibition was greater than 95% at day 70 with two doses each at 600 and 1200 mg. PK data support monthly dosing with a half-life of approximately 11 days at the 1200 mg dose. The trial is currently enrolling patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (PF-ILD).
The presentation also described the significant reduction of type VI collagen formation (PRO-C6) in human lung tissue treated with LASN01. Treatment with LASN01 resulted in a greater reduction of extracellular matrix remodeling as compared to the approved therapy nintedanib. LASN01 also showed a significant antifibrotic effect in a humanized mouse model of IPF lung fibrosis, reducing collagen deposition by >80%.
New Preclinical Data for LASN01 in TED Presented at ETA 2023
OFs were obtained from healthy control and TED patients following orbital decompression surgery and were analyzed for IL-11 expression. IL-11 was elevated in unstimulated OF obtained from TED patients compared to control cells. The effects of IL-11R blockade with LASN01 on the release of HA, cell proliferation, and collagen expression, all drivers of TED progression, were examined in response to stimulation with IL-11 and other stimuli.
IL-11 induced proliferation and secretion of HA in OF, both of which can be inhibited by LASN01 addition. Importantly, LASN01 also inhibited combination IGF-1 and IL-11 stimulation of OFs. Furthermore, LASN01 worked effectively in combination with teprotumumab, an approved agent for the treatment of TED, in inhibiting HA release.
About Lassen Therapeutics
Lassen Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech developing first-in-class antibodies as potential treatments for fibrosis, thyroid eye disease, and oncology. The company’s lead candidate, LASN01, is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting IL-11 receptor (IL-11R). IL-11 is a central mediator of fibrosis and blocking its activity has the potential to offer novel modality for treatment of TED and other fibrotic diseases. Lassen is also developing LASN500 in blocking IL-18BP for cancer. For more information, please visit www.lassentherapeutics.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
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