Equillium Announces Data Suggesting Soluble ALCAM as a Potential Biomarker of Disease Severity in Lupus Nephritis at ACR Convergence 2022
November 14 2022 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Equillium, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology
company focused on developing novel therapeutics to treat severe
autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high unmet medical need,
today announced that a poster presentation was given over the
weekend at ACR Convergence, the annual meeting of the American
College of Rheumatology. The presentation highlighted that levels
of urinary soluble ALCAM (sALCAM) could be a potential biomarker of
disease severity in lupus nephritis (LN) and indicative of a
patient’s response to treatment. The meeting, the world’s premier
rheumatology conference, is taking place November 10 – 14, 2022 at
the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
“The findings from this research represent an important step in
the clinical development of itolizumab, which targets the CD6-ALCAM
pathway and provides further support for its potential to be a
meaningful therapy for lupus nephritis patients,” said Dr. Maple
Fung, nephrologist and senior vice president of clinical
development at Equillium. “Lupus nephritis is a serious illness
that can lead to devastating long term complications including end
stage kidney disease. A potential biomarker that can be diagnostic
in a less invasive manner than a kidney biopsy, such as a urine
sample, would be a tremendous advancement in the field. If that
same biomarker could be indicative of response to treatment, it
could be a breakthrough in the diagnosis and follow-up care for
patients with this complex disease.”
Title: Urine ALCAM is a Strong Predictor of Lupus
Nephritis First Author: Dalena Chu, Associate Scientist,
Equillium, Inc. Session Title: SLE – Diagnosis,
Manifestations, and Outcomes Poster II: Manifestations Poster
Number: 1478
Key Highlights, Summary and Conclusions from
Presentation:
- Research demonstrated that urine ALCAM is a biomarker of
disease severity in LN that could be indicative of disease
progression and/or response to treatment
- Urine ALCAM correlates with currently accepted measures of LN,
including UPCR (urine protein-to-creatinine ratio) and renal SLEDAI
(systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index)
- Data suggests that urine ALCAM reflects changes in LN and could
potentially be used in combination with other measures to inform
clinicians of a patient’s disease early on, without invasive
measures
About Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) / Lupus Nephritis
(LN)
Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease in which
the immune system attacks its own tissues, causing widespread
inflammation and tissue damage in the affected organs. It can
affect the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels.
Lupus nephritis is a serious complication of SLE, occurring in
approximately 30% – 60% of individuals with SLE. In LN, the body’s
own immune system attacks the kidneys, causing inflammation and
significantly reducing kidney function over time.
About Itolizumab
Itolizumab is a clinical-stage, first-in-class anti-CD6
monoclonal antibody that selectively targets the CD6-ALCAM pathway.
This pathway plays a central role in modulating the activity and
trafficking of T cells that drive a number of immuno-inflammatory
diseases. Equillium acquired rights to itolizumab through an
exclusive partnership with Biocon Limited.
About Equillium
Equillium is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging a
deep understanding of immunobiology to develop novel therapeutics
to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high
unmet medical need. The company’s pipeline consists of the
following novel immunomodulatory assets targeting
immuno-inflammatory pathways. Itolizumab, a first-in-class
monoclonal antibody that targets the CD6-ALCAM signaling pathway
which plays a central role in the modulation of effector T cells,
is currently in a Phase 3 study for patients with acute
graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and is in a Phase 1b study for
patients with lupus/lupus nephritis. EQ101 is a first-in-class
tri-specific cytokine inhibitor that selectively targets IL-2,
IL-9, and IL-15. Equillium is currently enrolling patients in a
Phase 2 proof-of-concept study of EQ101 for patients with alopecia
areata. EQ102 is a bi-specific cytokine inhibitor that selectively
targets IL-15 and IL-21. Equillium is currently enrolling patients
in a Phase 1 study of EQ102, including healthy volunteers and
celiac disease patients.
For more information, visit www.equilliumbio.com.
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Investor Contact Michael Moore Vice President, Investor
Relations & Corporate Communications 619-302-4431
ir@equilliumbio.com
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