Burlington, MA -- September 27, 2024 – Lifordi Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a biotech company developing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, today announced that it has received the Endpoints 11 Award from Endpoints News, an honor given to the most promising biotech startups of 2024. Lifordi is leading the way in leveraging the success of ADCs to develop autoimmune treatments using its novel drug delivery platform that targets immune cells with diverse payloads, such as small molecules, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and siRNA. Founded in 2023, Lifordi closed a $70 Million Series A financing from ARCH Venture Partners, 5AM Ventures, and Atlas Venture to advance lead candidate LFD-200 into the clinic and generate initial data by year-end 2025.
"We are grateful to Endpoints for recognizing Lifordi’s potential to change how autoimmune and inflammatory diseases are treated by combining the success of ADCs with our targeted drug delivery platform,” said Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer. "Our lead candidate LFD-200 is being developed for a large autoimmune indication and is designed to deliver a steroid directly to immune cells while maintaining efficacy and limiting toxicity. We plan to initiate Phase 1 SAD/MAD trials spanning multiple geographies to generate initial clinical data by the end of 2025. Alongside supportive investors and clinical advisors, our experienced team is moving quickly to demonstrate the value of our targeted delivery platform in helping people who suffer from devastating autoimmune disorders.”
LFD-200 is a novel ADC in development to deliver a highly potent glucocorticoid (GC) to the immune cell compartment. GCs, or steroids, are highly effective anti-inflammatory drugs commonly prescribed for many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, however their use has been limited by off-target toxicities. In vitro and in vivo studies of LFD-200 have demonstrated efficacy without the associated toxicity in multiple disease models. Subcutaneous administration of LFD-200 has also shown the potential for lower doses and less frequent dosing. Collectively, LFD-200’s unique properties could facilitate broader and longer use of steroids to improve patient care for chronic autoimmune conditions.
Lifordi has built a Management Team comprised of experienced drug developers with expertise in immunology and inflammatory diseases supported by scientists who have focused their research on the biology and unique properties of the Company’s ADC target for many years. Lifordi also announced today its Board of Directors, which includes Steve Gillis, Managing Director of ARCH Venture, Bruce Booth, Partner of Atlas Venture, L. Mary Smith, Former CDO of SpringWorks Therapeutics, and Dave DeLucia, Co-Founder and former CEO of ImmuNext and introduced its Clinical Advisory Board (CAB) of leading academic, clinical and medical experts, both of which guide the continued development of LFD-200 and the Company’s pipeline. Members of Lifordi’s newly established CAB include:
Stanley B. Cohen, M.D. - Medical Director Rheumatology Division, Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas. Adjunct Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Southwestern Medical School. Co-Medical Director, Metroplex Clinical Research Center
Michael Weinblatt, M.D. - John R. and Eileen K. Riedman Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. R. Bruce and John M. Mickey Distinguished Chair in Rheumatology, Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation and Immunity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Niti Goel, M.D.- President and Co-founder, Caduceus Biomedical Consulting LLC. Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Duke University School of Medicine
L. Mary Smith, Ph.D. - Former Chief Development Officer of SpringWorks Therapeutics. President, Triangle Therapeutics Consulting
Lauren S. Baker, Ph.D. - Founder, Insight Medical Consulting
Lifordi Immunotherapeutics, Inc. is leading the way in leveraging the success of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to develop treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The Company’s lead ADC, LFD-200, has demonstrated efficacy in multiple preclinical disease models by targeting myeloid and lymphoid cells using a highly internalized cell surface membrane protein. As experienced drug developers in immunology and inflammatory diseases, together with expert clinical advisors, a strong partnering track record, and funding from ARCH Venture Partners, 5AM Ventures, and Atlas Venture to support initial clinical data, Lifordi is committed to changing how immune and inflammatory diseases are treated. For more information, please visit www.lifordi.com
