Nkarta Inc., received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance (when a clinical study sponsor receives approval to administer an investigational drug or biological product to humans) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their investigational therapy, NKX019, for the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN, lupus-related kidney disease). In the first half of 2024, researchers look to enroll 12 study participants with refractory LN for the multi-center, open label, dose escalation clinical trial to assess the safety and clinical activity of NKX019.

NKX019 is a chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR NK) cell therapy that targets B cells. NK cells are lymphocytes which help destroy infected and diseased cells in your body. NKX019 is engineered by collecting NK cells from healthy donor blood and modified with a CAR designed to target CD19, a protein found on the surface of B cells. CD19 plays a role in several cancers and autoimmune diseases. Additionally, NKX019 is being tested as a treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Continue to follow the Lupus Foundation of America for updates on NKX019, as well as other lupus drug development news. Learn more about medications used to treat lupus.

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