Before taking its repurposed diabetes drug candidate into a phase 2 lupus trial, Conduit Pharmaceuticals is tapping Charles River Laboratories to help test the asset in a preclinical model of the autoimmune disease.
Working with the CRO, Conduit hopes to generate preclinical data that can guide the development of a human trial in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and demonstrate the efficacy of the asset, a glucokinase activator called AZD1656, the company said in a Feb. 13 release.
The goal is to study how the drug affects disease progression and known markers of inflammation, Conduit said. The company did not specify which model it will use, but Charles River advertises an NZB/W mouse model for SLE studies on its website.
The collaboration will not only help optimize the phase 2 trial design, Conduit said, but will also boost the value of AZD1656 for potential out-licensing to other companies.
Conduit’s business model is to purchase assets that are ready for phase 2 trials, progress them through mid-stage development, and then seek an exit through licensing deals, according to the release.
Charles River’s “expertise in immunology and research will provide Conduit with critical insights and allow us to refine our study design, improve the quality of our data and ultimately increase the likelihood of clinical success,” Conduit CEO David Tapolczay, Ph.D., said in the release.
SLE is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes joint pain, fatigue and malaise, among numerous other possible symptoms.
Conduit licensed AZD1656 from AstraZeneca in August 2024, and shortly after announced plans to pursue the drug as a treatment for lupus and ANCA-associated vasculitis. AstraZeneca tested the compound through a phase 2 study in 530 patients with type 2 diabetes more than a decade ago.
Through that deal, Conduit gained the exclusive rights to develop AZD1656 and another AstraZeneca asset, AZD5658, in all human indications, according to a release, as well as a third asset, AZD5904, in idiopathic male infertility.
Not long after licensing AZD1656, Conduit combined it with another compound to create another autoimmune asset, known as CDT1656. That product is being particularly studied in autoimmune diseases characterized by dysregulated T cells, according to Conduit’s website.