Animate Biosciences’ Engineered Peptides Match or Exceed Standard Therapy in Preclinical Lung Fibrosis Models

Two peptide programs validate the AnimateIQ™ platform with strong anti-fibrotic efficacy, improved systemic health and broad biological relevance

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Animate Biosciences today announces positive preclinical results from a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis demonstrating that two of its AI-designed therapeutic peptides significantly reduced lung fibrosis and inflammation. Notably, the company’s lead peptide performed comparably to nintedanib, the current standard-of-care therapy.

The study evaluated two peptides derived from different genes and operating through distinct biological mechanisms. Both candidates demonstrated consistent efficacy across key disease endpoints, reinforcing the ability of Animate’s AnimateIQ™ discovery platform to generate multiple, independent therapeutic solutions within the same indication.

“Demonstrating that two distinct peptides deliver strong anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects validates both our platform and our pipeline strategy,” said Peter Licari, CEO and co-founder of Animate. “This data strengthens our conviction that peptides discovered using the AnimateIQ™ platform can deliver differentiated, disease-modifying therapies with the potential to improve lives.”

In the bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis model, animals treated with Animate’s peptides demonstrated improved systemic health, measured by body-weight recovery. Both peptides outperformed nintedanib, with treated animals exhibiting up to 34% greater weight gain versus the approved therapy, a meaningful indicator of improved tolerability and whole-body benefit in this disease model. Notably, neither peptide caused body-weight loss after 21 days of treatment.

In addition, both peptides significantly reduced lung fibrosis relative to diseased controls. The lead peptide matched nintedanib across established fibrosis measures, including hydroxyproline content and blinded Ashcroft scoring, and achieved greater than 85% reduction in disease-associated lung collagen deposition. The second peptide also demonstrated meaningful anti-fibrotic activity, further supporting platform robustness.

Animate’s peptides also produced strong anti-inflammatory effects, with greater than 70% reductions in pro-inflammatory lung cell populations compared to positive controls.

Across all endpoints, both peptides exhibited clear dose-response relationships, supporting confidence in their pharmacologic activity and translational potential. These benefits were achieved at approximately 30% of the maximum tolerated dose, indicating a wide therapeutic window and significant headroom for clinical optimization.

“These results show meaningful anti-fibrotic activity alongside improvement in systemic health,” said Dr. Lonny Yarmus, Professor of Medicine and Oncology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, specializing in interventional pulmonology. “Seeing consistent effects across established fibrosis measures at low doses supports the potential of this therapeutic approach.”

Animate’s peptides have demonstrated activity across multiple human cell types in vitro, including lung, dermal, cardiac and liver cells, supporting a multi-organ strategy. Animate Biosciences is advancing a pipeline of AI-designed peptides targeting inflammation and fibrosis across the lung, heart, liver and skin and is progressing toward IND-enabling studies. For more information, visit animate.bio.

About Animate Biosciences

Animate Biosciences is a biotechnology company developing first-of-its-kind peptide therapeutics to stop inflammatory and fibrotic disease. Powered by its proprietary AnimateIQ™ platform, the company combines breakthroughs in biological data processing, generative AI and rapid peptide synthesis to design novel therapies. By leveraging the untapped biology of nature’s best regenerators, the company aims to transform how inflammation and fibrosis are treated across organ systems, make advanced therapeutics accessible and deliver a future where life-altering or life-ending inflammatory and fibrotic disease is no longer inevitable. For more information, visit animate.bio.

Contacts

Media Contact:

Carly Kuikman

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