Sareum Holdings PLC (LON:SAR), the specialist drug development company, has described results from studies of two of its small molecule inhibitors to combat lupus as “encouraging”.
The company, which is focused on delivering targeted small molecule therapeutics to improve the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, said that results have been published for its small molecule dual tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) and Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitors in disease model studies of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by its collaborator, SRI International.
Sareum entered into a co-development agreement with SRI International in April 2013 to develop TYK2 inhibitors in autoimmune diseases. Sareum retains commercialisation rights for these and other TYK2 inhibitors.
The authors of the latest studies concluded that an approach using selective TYK2/JAK1 inhibitors may lead to the development of a therapy for lupus that does not involve the harmful side effects of systemic immune system suppression and may benefit numerous lupus patients in need of new options. They also noted that the results could influence treatments of other autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and psoriasis.
The TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor SAR-20351 (now known as SDC-1802) has been selected as a preclinical development candidate targeting cancer based on its overall profile that includes supportive data recently presented in October 2019 at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Cancer Conference. Sareum is advancing a different TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor - SDC-1801 - as a preclinical candidate targeting autoimmune diseases.
"These data from studies using our small molecule TYK2/JAK1 inhibitors add to the body of evidence supporting this novel mechanism of action as a promising approach to treating autoimmune diseases such as SLE,” Tim Mitchell, the chief executive officer of Sareum said in a statement.
“Our own studies have also confirmed this potential in autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis and we are delighted that this work indicates a possible application in lupus, which remains a condition with high unmet medical need,” he added.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body.
“This approach has also been recognised more broadly in the industry with several molecules targeting this pathway advancing through development. We look forward to reporting further progress as we advance our TYK2/JAK1 candidates through preclinical development,” Mitchell said.