Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease with poor prognosis. IPF appears to be heterogeneous in pathobiology with ~40% of IPF patients found to have elevated levels of circulating antibodies to the autoantigen type V collagen (col(V)).

Following a targeted, precision medicine approach, we conducted a phase 1 study to test the safety and explore potential efficacy of IW001, a col(V) oral immunotherapeutic developed to treat antibody-positive IPF patients. We divided 30 antibody-positive IPF patients into three cohorts for daily dosing over a 24-week period.

All patients completed treatment without serious adverse events, acute exacerbations or IPF-related hospitalisations. A decline in lung function occurred in the lowest-dose cohort that was comparable to that reported in placebo arms of published IPF trials. In contrast, the highest-dose cohort showed a trend toward stabilisation of forced vital capacity and matrix metalloproteinase 7, and a reduction in binding of C1q to anti-col(V) antibodies.

IW001 may modulate the immune response to col(V) and may represent a new therapeutic for col(V)- reactive IPF patients.