KDNY

Chronic kidney disease, also called chronic kidney failure, describes the gradual loss of kidney function. Your kidneys filter wastes and excess fluids from your blood, which are then excreted in your urine. When chronic kidney disease reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and wastes can build up in your body. In the early stages of chronic kidney disease, you may have few signs or symptoms. Chronic kidney disease may not become apparent until your kidney function is significantly impaired. Treatment for chronic kidney disease focuses on slowing the progression of the kidney damage, usually by controlling the underlying cause. Chronic kidney disease can progress to end-stage kidney failure, which is fatal without artificial filtering (dialysis) or a kidney transplant.

Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicines for kidney diseases. Chinook’s product candidates are being investigated in rare, severe chronic kidney disorders with opportunities for well-defined clinical pathways. Chinook’s lead program is atrasentan, an investigational phase 3 endothelin receptor antagonist for the treatment of IgA nephropathy and other primary glomerular diseases. BION-1301, an investigational anti-APRIL monoclonal antibody is being evaluated in a phase 1b trial for IgA nephropathy. In addition, Chinook is advancing CHK-336, an investigational oral small molecule LDHA inhibitor for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria, as well as research programs for other rare, severe chronic kidney diseases, including polycystic kidney disease. Chinook is building its pipeline by leveraging insights in kidney single cell RNA sequencing, human-derived organoids and new translational models, to discover and develop therapeutics with differentiating mechanisms of action against key kidney disease pathways.

Chinook has brought together what we believe to be very interesting group of assets targeting kidney diseases – an important field of study that currently has limited competitors.

Drug development in kidney diseases is experiencing a resurgence due to greater understanding of disease biology, utilization of novel translational platforms and patient stratification tools, and emergence of accelerated regulatory pathways based on surrogate endpoints. These dynamics have converged to create attractive opportunities for the development of precision therapies.

At Chinook, they are focused on rare, severe chronic kidney diseases with well-defined clinical pathways. Their lead clinical program, atrasentan, is an endothelin A (ET_A) receptor antagonist that was in-licensed from AbbVie in 2019. The phase 3ALIGN trial of atrasentan is currently enrolling patients with IgA nephropathy and the phase 2 AFFINITY trial of atrasentan is currently enrolling patients with proteinuric glomerular diseases. BION-1301, an investigational anti-APRIL monoclonal antibody, is being evaluated in a phase 1/2 trial for IgA nephropathy. We are also evaluating CHK-336, an oral small molecule lactate dehydrogenase A inhibitor with liver-targeted tissue distribution, for the treatment of primary and idiopathic hyperoxaluria in a phase 1 healthy volunteer trial. In addition, they are conducting research programs in other rare, severe chronic kidney diseases. They seek to build their pipeline by leveraging insights in single cell RNA sequencing of patient kidney samples, human-derived organoids and new translational models in order to discover and develop therapeutics with mechanisms of action targeted against key kidney disease pathways.

At Vista, we also believe that Chinook has assembled an excellent management team led by Eric Dobmeier, President and CEO of Chinook Therapeutics. Previously, he was President and CEO of Silverback Therapeutics, a Seattle-based biotechnology company in the immuno-oncology space. Prior to that, he spent more than 15 years at Seattle Genetics, most recently as Chief Operating Officer, where he oversaw business development, corporate communications, manufacturing, program/alliance management activities and corporate strategy initiatives. While at Seattle Genetics, Eric was also directly involved in raising more than $1.2 billion in equity capital, and led negotiation and completion of multiple corporate alliances with leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.