Kidney therapeutics for acute and chronic disease
Arch Biopartners Science, Team, and Publications
Arch Biopartners is advancing a first-in-class pipeline to protect and restore kidney health.
Kidney disease represents a major unmet need, affecting hundreds of millions worldwide. Most current treatments act indirectly and do not target the biological mechanisms that drive injury and disease progression.
Arch is advancing a mechanism-based pipeline spanning both chronic and acute kidney disease, with three programs designed to directly address the underlying drivers of kidney injury and progression.
CKD Platform – Novel Therapeutics for Chronic Kidney Disease
Arch’s IL-32 CKD platform targets a cytokine directly implicated in diabetic kidney disease (DKD), the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide. By focusing on this pathway, the program advances a novel, on-target therapeutic approach that strengthens Arch’s leadership in kidney therapeutics.
LSALT peptide – Blocking Inflammation in Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
Arch’s lead drug candidate, LSALT peptide (Metablok™), is a first-in-class DPEP1 inhibitor designed to protect the kidneys from ischemia-reperfusion injury. It is now being evaluated in a global Phase II trial for cardiac surgery–associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI).
Cilastatin – Drug Toxin-Related Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
Cilastatin is a repurposed DPEP1 inhibitor being evaluated for its ability to block toxic drug uptake into the kidneys and prevent toxin-induced AKI. Now in the Phase II PONTiAK trial (700 patients, CIHR/ACT funded), targeting AKI caused by antibiotics, chemotherapeutics, and contrast agents.
Meet the science team.
Arch Biopartners’ scientific leadership brings deep expertise in kidney disease, inflammation biology, and translational medicine.
- Dr. Daniel Muruve, Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder, leads the Company’s clinical and translational research, with internationally recognized expertise in kidney disease and inflammation.
- The scientific team includes leading investigators from the University of Calgary, whose discoveries established the dipeptidase-1 (DPEP1) pathway and LSALT Peptide as first-in-class approaches to prevent inflammation-driven kidney injury.
- The addition of Dr. Justin Chun as a Principal Scientist marks Arch Biopartners’ expansion into chronic kidney disease (CKD), advancing a breakthrough platform that targets IL-32 in diabetic kidney disease.
The company’s lead scientists have authored key peer-reviewed papers as part of their ongoing research and development.
Treatments for Inflammation publications surrounding the development of LSALT peptide as a treatment for inflammation with broad application to prevent organ and tissue injury
- BMJ Open, March 2024 – Multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof of concept study of LSALT peptide as prevention of acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney injury in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2
- Science Advances, February 2022 – Dipeptidase-1 governs renal inflammation during ischemia reperfusion injury
- Cell, August 2019 – Dipeptidase-1 Is an Adhesion Receptor for Neutrophil Recruitment in Lungs and Liver
CKD Platform publications are forthcoming and will be made available here. Currently there is a significant abstract published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), titled IL-32 Is a Lipid Droplet-Associated Mediator of Tubular Injury in Diabetic Kidney Disease.
