Mr. Aaron Benson reports

ARCH BIOPARTNERS SCIENTISTS PUBLISH NEW DATA LINKING THE CYTOKINE IL-32 TO INFLAMMATION AND DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE

Arch Biopartners Inc. has noted that a scientific team led by Dr. Justin Chun at the University of Calgary has published new data in the peer-reviewed journal Inflammation Research identifying interleukin-32 (IL-32) as a novel lipid droplet-associated cytokine that may contribute to tubular injury and inflammation in diabetic kidney disease (DKD).

The newly published findings, based on human kidney tissue, show that during DKD, kidney cells accumulate lipid (fat) droplets that are coated with the cytokine IL-32. The build-up of IL-32 on lipid droplets in cells is believed to drive kidney injury and inflammation. These data identify IL-32 as a potential link between metabolic dysregulation and inflammation, pathways that are known to drive many chronic diseases including DKD.

"IL-32 is a LD-associated cytokine upregulated during tubular injury that represents a potential link between lipid dysregulation, inflammation and progression in human DKD," wrote the authors in the publication.

Over the next 12 to 18 months, the company plans to perform studies to enable an investigational new drug (IND) application with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This includes in vivo proof-of-concept studies and optimization work to select a lead drug candidate that targets IL-32 as a new treatment for diabetic kidney disease.

Significance for the Arch CKD platform

Arch Biopartners is developing next-generation drug candidates that target IL-32, a cytokine implicated in diabetic kidney disease as described in Dr. Chun's new publication. The goal is to produce a novel on-target drug that slows or prevents the progression of chronic kidney disease in patients with diabetes and related metabolic conditions.

Current treatments for diabetic kidney disease include drugs such as sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which have been shown to provide cardiorenal benefits and slow the decline of kidney function. While these drugs have improved outcomes for some patients, most continue to progress to kidney failure and more effective treatments for CKD are needed.

Arch's IL-32 drug development program is among the first to directly target metabolic dysregulation-associated inflammatory signaling within the kidney and represents a new pathway to reduce the residual risk left unaddressed by drugs currently prescribed for CKD.

Publication details

The paper, entitled "Spatial transcriptomics identifies IL-32 as a lipid droplet-associated cytokine linked to tubular injury in human diabetic kidney disease," was published in the journal Inflammation Research (Springer Nature, Volume 75, Article 33, 2026) and is accessible on-line.

The research published in Inflammation Research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

About Arch Biopartners Inc.

Arch Biopartners is a therapeutic biotech company developing novel drugs for acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The company is advancing an integrated program that includes new treatments targeting inflammation- and toxin-related kidney injury.

Arch's development pipeline includes:

• LSALT peptide: in a phase II trial targeting cardiac surgery-associated AKI;
• Cilastatin: a repurposed drug in a phase II trial targeting toxin-induced AKI;
• CKD platform: next-generation therapeutics targeting chronic kidney disease.

These assets represent distinct, mechanism-based approaches to treating and preventing common causes of kidney damage. Together, they target serious unmet needs in kidney care across both chronic and acute indications, affecting more than 800 million people worldwide. Both lead programs are currently enrolling patients at Canadian clinical sites, with additional North American sites in development.

The scientific and medical content of this release has been reviewed and approved by the company's chief science officer.

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