From Immune Biology to Early Clinical Signal: Building a Robust Preclinical & Translational Package for Novel IPF Therapies
- Unpacking the immunological drivers of fibrosis, including the role of invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells in orchestrating epithelial injury, fibroblast activation, and chronic inflammatory signaling, and how targeting early immune regulators may shift disease trajectory beyond traditional antifibrotic approaches
- Designing a preclinical evaluation framework that moves beyond single models, integrating human-relevant systems (e.g., PCLS, ex vivo tissue), molecular readouts, and multi omic approaches to demonstrate true disease modification, not just attenuation of fibrosis
- Linking mechanism to translation through converging datasets, combining gene expression, circulating biomarkers, and immune phenotyping to build confidence in target engagement, biological relevance, and likelihood of clinical success prior to entering the clinic