Treating All Patients with Severe Asthma
Kinaset is developing inhaled therapeutics to address significant unmet medical needs in respiratory diseases, with an initial focus on severe asthma.
Globally 1.5-2 million people live with severe asthma, which is identified when a patient takes high doses of inhaled corticosteroids with one or more additional bronchodilators. Despite these treatments, asthma remains uncontrolled for many of these patients and they experience exacerbations of their asthma.
Historically, asthma has been described as an eosinophilic driven disease characterized by reversible airway obstruction and thickened airway smooth muscle cells. Patients diagnosed with this condition have benefited from the relatively recent approval of parenterally administered anti-IL-5 and anti-IL4Rα monoclonal antibodies. However, approximately 50% of the severe asthma population who have non-eosinophilic disease do not derive therapeutic benefit from these therapies and continue to suffer from the limited availability of safe and effective treatment options.
Our lead program, KN-002, is a novel and non-invasive anti-inflammatory being developed to treat all people living with severe asthma.
A Novel and Non-invasive
Anti-inflammatory
Kinaset is developing KN-002 to close the treatment gap and treat patients with severe asthma regardless of the underlying cause of inflammation. Formulated as a dry powder that is inhalable for ease of use, KN-002 has enhanced targeted delivery directly to the site of inflammation in the lungs with reduced systemic exposure. Administration via this route could provide a safer and more effective treatment option for patients.
O’Shea J. The JAK-STAT Pathway: Impact on Human Disease and Therapeutic Intervention. Annual Rev Med. 2015; 66: 311–328
The Janus kinase (JAK)-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) pathway regulates multiple fundamental biological processes including many aspects of innate and adaptive immunity, hematopoiesis and cell proliferation1 and oral JAK inhibitors are currently used for the treatment of various conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and myelofibrosis.
The JAK family is comprised of four members (JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and tyrosine kinase 2), each of which are involved in the signaling of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines implicated in the development of eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic severe asthma. Inhibiting all JAK targets represents an opportunity to treat all patients with severe asthma, including those with non-eosinophilic severe asthma who have few treatment options and could improve outcomes for patients with eosinophilic severe asthma.
By using a pan-JAK approach targeting all four members of the JAK family, KN-002 disrupts pro-inflammatory mediators associated with both eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic asthma to address the cause of the underlying inflammation in all patients with severe asthma.
In addition to severe asthma, KN-002 could be developed to treat additional respiratory indications, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has potential for indications outside of respiratory disease, such as dermatology.
