Lupus Nephritis

What is lupus nephritis?

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe kidney manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) that affects up to 50% of these patients and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality.^{1, 2}

Where it strikes

SLE, the most common type of lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by widespread inflammation and tissue damage which can involve a wide spectrum of organs, including the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels.^{3, 4, 5, 6} Up to 30% of patients with LN may develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which is associated with a 26-fold increase in the risk of mortality compared to the general population.^{7, 8, 9, 10}

Current treatments

Treatment goals of LN include long-term preservation of kidney function accompanied by improvements in proteinuria, survival, and quality of life, as well as prevention of disease flares and management of comorbidities. Despite recent advancements in treatment for LN, complete response rate (CRR) is achieved by less than 50% of patients and many patients will require dialysis and kidney transplant as their disease progresses.^{7, 8, 9}

CAR T-cell therapy for lupus nephritis

CAR T-cell therapy involves modifying a patient’s T cells to recognize and remove B cells in the patient’s body. Kyverna’s anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy, KYV-101, specifically targets anti-CD19, a protein expressed on the surface of B cells, which is involved in various types of autoimmune diseases.

We believe our approach may present a significant advantage over current standard-of-care therapies by aiming to directly deplete B cells and potentially resetting disease-contributing B cells.

1. Almaani S, et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephro. 2017;12:825-835.
2. Anders HJ, et al. Semin Immunopathol. 2014;36:443-459.
3. Fava A, et al. J Autoimmun. 2019;96:1-13.
4. Kaul A, et al. Nat Rev Dis Primers;2016.2:16039.
5. www.cdc.gov/lupus/facts/detailed.html. Accessed November 30, 2023.
6. Tsang MWP, et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021;60:vi21-vi28.
7. Fanouriakis A, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020;79:713-723.
8. Furie R, et al. N Engl J Med. 2020;383:1117-1128.
9. Rovin BH, et al. Lancet. 2021;397:2070-2080.
10. Yap DY, et al. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2012;27:3248-3254.