Sitryx Nominates Novel Oral GLS1 Inhibitor for Asthma Clinical Trials

Candidate has potential to be a first-in-class treatment offering biologic-like disease control from an oral small molecule.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 12:56pm

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Sitryx Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced the nomination of its lead glutaminase-1 (GLS1) inhibitor as the latest development candidate from its proprietary pipeline to progress to regulatory non-clinical studies to support a Clinical Trial Authorization (CTA). Sitryx's GLS1 inhibitor (SIT-052) offers first-in-class potential as an oral, targeted therapy for moderate to severe asthma, with the ability to modulate dendritic cell-driven T cell responses, dampen inflammation, prevent exacerbations, reduce remodeling, and maintain lung function in patients with uncontrolled disease.

Why it matters

Across the US and Europe, approximately 40 million adults are living with asthma, a chronic inflammatory lung disease. Despite existing therapies, up to a quarter of patients have moderate to severe forms of the disease, many of whom remain inadequately controlled by current treatments. Targeting immune cell metabolism represents a novel and highly promising approach in moderate to severe asthma, which remains a significant global health burden for patients whose disease is not controlled by current therapies.

The details

Sitryx's GLS1 inhibitor modulates dendritic cell-driven T cell responses, a mechanism central to asthmatic immune pathology. In addition, GLS-1 inhibition reduces smooth muscle and fibroblast proliferation, offering the potential to dampen inflammation, prevent exacerbations, reduce remodeling, and maintain lung function in patients with uncontrolled disease. The candidate has demonstrated robust efficacy in preclinical disease models, supporting its potential to deliver biologic-like efficacy in a convenient, oral small molecule format.

  • Regulatory submission preparation and entry into the clinic is expected in H1 2027.

The players

Sitryx Therapeutics

A clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel oral therapies to restore immune balance in autoimmune and inflammatory disease.

Iain Kilty

Chief Executive Officer of Sitryx.

Ravi Rao

Chief Medical Officer of Sitryx.

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What they’re saying

“The nomination of our GLS1 inhibitor for clinical development in moderate to severe asthma marks an important milestone in the continued expansion of our immunometabolism pipeline. With a compelling mechanistic rationale and strong preclinical data, we believe this program has the potential to deliver biologic-like disease control from an oral small molecule, providing a much-needed treatment option for asthmatic patients.”

— Iain Kilty, Chief Executive Officer of Sitryx

“Targeting immune cell metabolism represents a novel and highly promising approach in moderate to severe asthma, which remains a significant global health burden for patients whose disease is not controlled by current therapies. By modulating dendritic cell-driven T cell activation, our GLS1 inhibitor directly addresses a central mechanism underlying asthmatic disease pathology. The preclinical data generated to date are highly encouraging, demonstrating meaningful effects on inflammatory pathways and lung function and we look forward to advancing this candidate into clinical development and exploring its potential to improve outcomes for patients with moderate to severe asthma.”

— Ravi Rao, Chief Medical Officer of Sitryx

What’s next

Regulatory submission preparation and entry into the clinic is expected in H1 2027.

The takeaway

Sitryx's novel oral GLS1 inhibitor represents a promising new approach to treating moderate to severe asthma, a significant unmet medical need. By modulating immune cell metabolism, the candidate has the potential to deliver biologic-like disease control in a convenient small molecule format, potentially improving outcomes for patients whose asthma is not well-controlled by existing therapies.