Lycia Therapeutics Announces the Appointment of Chin Lee, MD, MPH, as Chief Medical Officer and Reveals Immunology Pipeline
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lycia Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing lysosomal targeting chimera (LYTAC)-based protein degradation therapies to eliminate disease at its source, today announced the appointment of Chin Lee, M.D., M.P.H., as its chief medical officer. Dr. Lee brings more than 20 years of clinical research and development experience, advancing therapies from early stage to commercialization. He will oversee the company's clinical, nonclinical and regulatory functions and the advancement of its pipeline of LYTAC degraders.
Lycia's proprietary LYTAC platform enables the rapid, deep and selective depletion of extracellular proteins by harnessing the lysosomal pathway. The company is progressing its two lead programs towards the clinic, which target well-validated drivers of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
- LCA-0061 is a CataLYTACTM degrader that catalytically degrades IgE, offering a potentially more effective treatment for IgE-mediated diseases, including food allergy, allergic asthma and chronic spontaneous urticaria. In preclinical studies, a single dose promoted rapid, deep and durable suppression of total and free IgE, outperforming omalizumab, an anti-IgE blocking antibody. The mechanism of LCA-0061 and early data indicate its potential to effectively treat a wide range of patients, regardless of IgE levels.
- LCA-0321 is a LYTAC degrader designed to specifically bind and rapidly deplete anti-TSHR autoantibodies, the underlying cause of Graves' disease and its extrathyroidal manifestations, including thyroid eye disease. This approach has the potential to restore normal thyroid function without causing general immunosuppression.
"We are delighted to welcome Chin to Lycia as we advance closer to the clinic with our pipeline of differentiated therapies for food allergy and Graves' disease, conditions where current treatments have significant limitations," said Aetna Wun Trombley, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Lycia. "Chin's extensive expertise in developing treatments for immune-mediated diseases and proven leadership in clinical development make him a valuable addition to our team."
Dr. Lee joins Lycia from Allakos (NASDAQ:ALLK), where, as chief medical officer, he oversaw the development of novel therapeutic programs for allergy and inflammatory diseases. Prior to Allakos, he held leadership roles at Connect Biopharma, Theravance Biopharma, Genentech, Eli Lilly, and Abbott (now AbbVie), where he successfully led the development of therapeutics for multiple immunology indications. Earlier in his career, Dr. Lee was a faculty member at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology. He earned his B.S. in Biology, an M.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.P.H. from Northwestern University.
"I'm thrilled to join Lycia as it pioneers a novel approach to targeted protein degradation and advances a pipeline of potential best-in-class therapies," said Dr. Lee. "LCA-0061 and LCA-0321 have the potential to offer safety and efficacy advantages by selectively eliminating the pathogenic drivers of their respective diseases. I look forward to helping bring these programs to the clinic and demonstrating their therapeutic impact for patients."
About Food Allergy
Food allergy, predominantly mediated by IgE, affects up to 8 percent of children and 11 percent of adults in the U.S., with limited treatment options. Nearly 50 percent of those affected are allergic to multiple foods, and reactions can range from mild symptoms to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Accidental exposure to allergens leads to severe reactions in 40-50 percent of food-allergic children and adults, making strict avoidance and emergency use of epinephrine part of the current standard of care. While oral immunotherapy is available, it has high rates of side effects and limited effectiveness for those with multiple allergies. Only one biologic is approved for food allergy, but its use is restricted based on IgE levels and body weight, highlighting the need for new treatment options.
About Graves' Disease
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes excessive thyroid hormone production, affecting 2 percent of women and 0.2 percent of men worldwide. It results from abnormal autoantibodies binding to the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR), overstimulating the thyroid and driving excessive hormone release. This impacts the heart, bones, muscles, and metabolism, causing symptoms such as weight loss, tremors, and palpitations; severe cases of Graves' disease can be life-threatening. People with Graves' disease can also develop thyroid eye disease. Current drug treatment for Graves' disease is limited to anti-thyroid drugs, which have high relapse rates and can lead to permanent hypothyroidism, requiring lifelong thyroid hormone replacement.
About Lycia Therapeutics
Lycia Therapeutics is a biotechnology company using its proprietary lysosomal targeting chimera (LYTAC) platform to discover and develop best-in-class therapeutics that degrade extracellular and membrane-bound proteins. These proteins drive a wide range of difficult-to-treat diseases, including autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Lycia was established in 2019 in collaboration with academic founder and Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and HHMI investigator at Stanford University. The company is headquartered in South San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.lyciatx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky.
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