Nkarta shifts focus to autoimmune disease, drops another cancer program

Nkarta, a biotechnology company, is shifting its focus from developing a natural killer cell therapy for cancer to exploring its potential in autoimmune diseases. The decision comes after an evaluation of recent clinical data and the ongoing changes in the treatment landscape, as stated by Nkarta CEO Paul Hastings.

The company has decided to discontinue the investigation of NKX019 for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). This decision follows a review of the latest clinical data in a cohort of seven patients with heavily pretreated large B cell lymphoma, where five patients achieved a partial response after their initial treatment with the drug. Nkarta plans to present the final data from this cohort at an upcoming medical meeting.

NKX019 is currently under investigation in several trials. One of the key studies is Ntrust-1, which targets lupus nephritis. The first patient has already been dosed in this study. Additionally, there is an investigator-sponsored trial at Columbia University Irving Medical Center focusing on patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Analysts from TD Cowen noted that this trial could expand the clinical evaluation of NKX019 in lupus to include a potentially different population compared to Ntrust-1.

Nkarta also has plans to begin enrolling participants by the end of this year in an early-stage NKX019 study targeting systemic sclerosis, myositis, and vasculitis, with data expected to be available by 2025.

Analysts from William Blair expressed their support for Nkarta's decision to shift focus from NHL to autoimmune diseases, noting the lack of efficacy of similar therapies in oncology to date. They believe that NKX019's profile is better suited for treating autoimmune diseases. Although the cell therapy space for lupus is becoming increasingly crowded, the analysts remain optimistic about the therapeutic potential of NKX019.

This is not the first time Nkarta has halted the development of one of its natural killer therapies for cancer. Earlier in March, the company ceased work on a CAR-NK therapy for an aggressive type of leukemia following underwhelming results from Phase 1 data.