aTyr Pharma Announces LTBP1 as Target of DARS tRNA Synthetase Fragment

LTBP1 is key regulator of TGF-β, a major driver of fibrosis.

Latest target identified from company’s platform in collaboration with Dualsystems Biotech AG.

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- aTyr Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: LIFE), a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class medicines from its proprietary tRNA synthetase platform, today announced new findings from its tRNA synthetase platform. The target for a naturally occurring fragment of Aspartyl-tRNA Synthetase (DARS) was identified as latent transforming growth factor beta binding protein 1 (LTBP1).

LTBP1 is an extracellular matrix protein and key regulator of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), a central player in the pathogenesis of fibrotic diseases. The company expects to present additional findings around the interaction between LTBP1 and this fragment of DARS at an upcoming scientific conference.

“The extracellular functionality of the many splice variants and other natural fragments of tRNA synthetases is a burgeoning area of immunobiology. Elucidating the relationship between these fragments and biological pathways involved with human disease is a paradigm shift for understanding the unique role these fragments play in regulating our immune environment and helps to establish their clinical utility,” said Paul Schimmel, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute and Director and Founder of aTyr. “The ability to identify the targets of tRNA synthetase fragments provides the opportunity for many therapeutic applications of a new class of medicines based on this platform.”

“We continue to generate exciting discoveries and build upon our platform with yet another target identified from our library of extracellular tRNA synthetase protein fragments,” said Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and CEO of aTyr. “This work, which was conducted in collaboration with Dualsystems Biotech AG, a highly specialized company that uses cutting-edge technology to provide custom proteomic services, has helped us to accelerate our drug discovery efforts. The identification of LTBP1, a key target implicated in fibrosis and immune regulation, and its interaction with this fragment of DARS may provide an opportunity to generate a potential new therapeutic candidate.”

About aTyr

aTyr is a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class medicines from its proprietary tRNA synthetase platform. aTyr’s research and development efforts are concentrated on a newly discovered area of biology, the extracellular functionality and signaling pathways of tRNA synthetases. aTyr has built a global intellectual property estate directed to a potential pipeline of protein compositions derived from 20 tRNA synthetase genes and their extracellular targets. aTyr’s primary focus is efzofitimod, a clinical-stage product candidate which binds to the neuropilin-2 receptor and is designed to downregulate immune engagement in fibrotic lung disease. For more information, please visit .



Forward-Looking Statements

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