HighTide Therapeutics presents preclinical HTD1801 data for kidney disease

HighTide Therapeutics has presented new preclinical findings for its investigational therapy, HTD1801, targeting autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The data was shared at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) in Denver.

ADPKD is a common inherited kidney disorder where approximately 50% of patients face kidney failure by age 60. HTD1801 works by targeting the AMPK–NLRP3 axis, which aims to suppress epithelial cyst proliferation and reduce renal inflammation and fibrotic remodeling.

In studies using human iPSC-derived nephron organoids, HTD1801 reduced the median cystic area fraction to 10.70%, compared to 20.40% in the control group. The research showed that the proportion of organoids with a low cystic burden increased to 97.3%, while those with a high cystic burden dropped to 0%. In comparison, the reference drug metformin reduced the median cystic area fraction to 13.12%, while tolvaptan showed no effect on cyst burden in this specific model.