10:35 AM EST, 02/13/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Conduit Pharmaceuticals ( CDT ) said Thursday it partnered with Charles River Laboratories International ( CRL ) to evaluate its AZD1656 drug candidate and its derivatives in a preclinical model of systemic lupus erythematosus, as part of its strategy to develop potential immunotherapies for autoimmune disorders.

Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed, but Conduit said that Charles River will assist in refining study parameters and generating robust preclinical data to optimize the development pathway for AZD1656 ahead of its planned Phase 2 clinical trials.

The primary goal is to better understand how AZD1656 affects disease progression in a lupus model compared with typical disease outcomes, according to the company.

The study will also assess the impact of AZD1656 on inflammatory markers and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels to evaluate its potential for Treg immunoregulation, which could inform and de-risk future clinical trials.

Conduit shares recently were sliding nearly 5% lower while Charles River was down 0.3% in Thursday morning trade.

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