Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory condition which can affect any organ in people of any age. The prognosis ranges from benign to debilitating. Granulomas, or clumps of cells, build up in various organs such as the lungs, lymph nodes, or the skin. When the illness involves the lungs, it’s called pulmonary sarcoidosis. This type of the condition accounts for 90% of all patients.
There is currently no known cure for the disease.
A New Clinical Trial
aTyr Pharma has just announced that they will be starting a Phase 1b/2a study for a potential new treatment for pulmonary sarcoidosis. The drug is called ATYR1923. ATYR1923 is a fusion protein that aTyr believes may be able to treat some lung diseases.
In June of 2018, the first clinical trial of ATYR1923 using human subjects was conducted in healthy volunteers. At all dose levels, the drug was well-tolerated and there were no significant adverse effects. This previous trial supports the potential of this drug to be used once monthly.
The new trial will involve pulmonary sarcoidosis patients. Its goal is to evaluate the drugs efficacy, tolerability, safety, and immunogenicity at various doses. They anticipate it will involve 12 clinical trial sites across the United States.
A New Partnership
Along with this Phase 1b/2a trial, aTyr has also announced a new collaboration with the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research. The hope is that this partnership will aid aTyr in the process of initiating sites for the clinical trial as well as assisting with patient enrollment. Both organizations are excited about this new partnership, anticipating it to be mutually beneficial.
“Any step supporting the study of a new therapeutic candidate is a step towards a potential groundbreaking discovery that could improve the lives of sarcoidosis patients worldwide.”
You can read more about this upcoming clinical trial and recent partnership here.
