Werewolf Therapeutics Presents New Preclinical Data Further Characterizing its IL-10 INDUKINE Molecule, WTX-921, for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) at AAI Annual Meeting
- Data reveal WTX-921 is efficacious in a mouse colitis model, resulting in reduced tissue damage and inflammatory cytokine production -
- Findings offer a more detailed understanding of WTX-921’s anti-inflammatory impact on the immune landscape in the inflamed colon -
WATERTOWN, Mass., May 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Werewolf Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company” or “Werewolf”) (Nasdaq: HOWL), an innovative biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of conditionally activated therapeutics engineered to stimulate the body’s immune system for the treatment of cancer and other immune-mediated conditions, today announced a poster presentation further characterizing its conditionally-activated IL-10 INDUKINE molecule, WTX-921, at IMMUNOLOGY2025, the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) taking place May 3-7 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Werewolf’s findings are summarized in a poster titled, “Development of WTX-921, A Conditionally Active IL-10 INDUKINETM Molecule for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease” (Board #1230). The results build on initial data presented at the 2024 AAI Annual Meeting, which revealed preliminary proof-of-concept for its IL-10 INDUKINE molecule as a potential prodrug for IBD treatment.
The data corroborate the preferential cleavage of inflammatory disease linkers by inflamed human IBD tissue samples and reduced colitis in a murine IBD model as previously observed. New results also highlight WTX-921’s effective masking of IL-10 via its optimized IL-10 blocking domain, which prevents the peripheral off-tissue pharmacodynamic effects of IL-10. The CDC estimates that 7 million people worldwide had IBD in 2024, and while clinical studies in IBD involving IL-10 have shown promise, they are consistently hampered by dose-dependent adverse events.
“Our findings validate the potential of WTX-921, a first-of-its-kind targeted IL-10 therapy, to modulate disease-driving innate and adaptive immune responses implicated in IBD,” said Daniel J. Hicklin, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Werewolf Therapeutics. “WTX-921 is a novel IL-10 INDUKINE molecule specifically engineered to overcome the significant toxicities associated with systemic IL-10 therapy and deliver this potent anti-inflammatory agent to inflamed colon tissue, which has clear implications for IBD patients in need of better treatment options.”
WTX-921 treatment demonstrated efficacy in the ACT animal model of colitis over a duration of 4 weeks, preventing weight loss and resulting in reduced Disease Activity Index (DAI) scores. WTX-921 also inhibited inflammation, evidenced by a decrease in the infiltration/expansion of immune cells (including CD4+ effector T cells and myeloid cells) and reduced RNA levels of inflammatory cytokines within the colon of treated animals.
About WTX-921: WTX-921 is a novel, first-of-its-kind IL-10 INDUKINE™ molecule being developed for the treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and other inflammatory diseases. Engineered to overcome the significant toxicities associated with systemic IL-10 delivery, WTX-921 is conditionally activated and is specifically designed for the selective delivery of native IL-10 to inflamed tissues, providing therapeutically-relevant exposure while minimizing systemic toxicity in preclinical models. Preclinical data demonstrate that WTX-921 has the potential to block several disease-driving effector molecules and cytokines, eliciting a multipronged effect by inhibiting disease-driving innate and adaptive immune cell populations.
About Werewolf Therapeutics: Werewolf Therapeutics, Inc., is an innovative biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of therapeutics engineered to stimulate the body’s immune system for the treatment of cancer and other immune-mediated conditions. The Company is leveraging its proprietary PREDATOR® platform to design conditionally activated molecules that stimulate both adaptive and innate immunity with the goal of addressing the limitations of conventional proinflammatory immune therapies. Werewolf’s INDUKINE molecules are intended to remain inactive in peripheral tissue yet activate selectively in the tumor microenvironment. The Company’s most advanced clinical stage product candidates, WTX-124 and WTX-330, are systemically delivered, conditionally activated Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and Interleukin-12 (IL-12) INDUKINE molecules, respectively, for the treatment of solid tumors. Werewolf is advancing WTX-124 in multiple tumor types as a single agent and in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor and WTX-330 in multiple tumor types or Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma as a single agent. To learn more visit www.werewolftx.com.
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