NKARTA, INC. Lupus Therapeutics announced a partnership with Nkarta, Inc. 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.
