CHICAGO– Xentria Inc., a biotech company focused on developing novel biologics to address unmet clinical needs, presented its first set of data showing its novel biologic, XTMAB-16, has the potential to reduce the formation of sarcoidosis granulomas.
Sarcoidosis is a chronic, inflammatory disorder that can affect multiple organs and bodily systems including the skin, eyes, heart, and central nervous system. More than 90% of cases involve the lungs. Symptoms range from asymptomatic to severe — including respiratory problems, blindness, neurological disease, and cardiac death. There is no tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-inhibitor currently FDA approved for the treatment of sarcoidosis.
Key findings from the data include:
- Data derived from ten consecutive patients showed that pretreatment with XTMAB-16 significantly, and dose-dependently, reduces granuloma formation in an in vitro model within the range of 1 μg/ml and 40 μg/ml.
- XTMAB-16 consistently inhibited in vitro granuloma formation (the key inflammatory feature of sarcoidosis) and related inflammatory molecules, based on an established laboratory model using the actual immune cells of sarcoidosis patients.
- XTMAB-16 was comparable to the currently accepted first line treatment, corticosteroids, for suppression of in vitro sarcoidosis granuloma formation1. The efficacy of XTMAB-16 for reducing disease activity in humans remains to be determined in clinical trials.
“These new data are a promising first step in the continued evaluation of XTMAB-16 as a potential therapy for patients with sarcoidosis,” said Thomas Shea, President of Xentria. “The release of this new data reinforces our commitment to the sarcoidosis rare disease community and our mission to develop new breakthrough treatments.”
XTMAB-16 works to limit tissue injury and fibrosis caused by the disease by targeting the cellular signals regulating inflammation, called cytokines. The study evaluated the effect of treatment with XTMAB-16 in an in vitro model using cells taken from patients with lungs and/or lymph nodes affected by active sarcoidosis.
“While there are currently medications available to try to manage the symptoms of this rare disease, the available treatments have serious limitations, including limited efficacy and unacceptable side-effects, and there is a pressing need for better treatments,” said investigator Elliott D. Crouser, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University. “I look forward to working with Xentria to further evaluate XTMAB-16’s potential to reduce disease manifestations and improve the quality of life and care of patients with sarcoidosis.”
