Pipeline
Lighthouse is developing novel, potent and selective protease inhibitors based on precision medicine for major unmet medical needs. Our lead program, LHP588, is a next-generation gingipain inhibitor, which precisely blocks virulence factor toxicity in people with P. gingivalis infection while reducing bacterial load. This bacteria is shown to be associated with degenerative and inflammatory disorders including dementia, periodontal disease, cardiovascular disease, and oral cancer. This mechanism represents a new paradigm for precision medicine targeting disease modification in dementia, similar to that used in other infection related dementias (eg: HIV dementia and neurological Lyme disease). The program leverages key learnings from the first-generation molecule, atuzaginstat which demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept in a pre-specified group of P. gingivalis positive subjects in a Phase 2/3 study of mild to moderate dementia patients. LHP588 was well tolerated in Phase I SAD/MAD study, with no serious adverse events, no dose related adverse effects, and no clinically relevant ECG or lab findings. Lighthouse is currently initiating a Phase 2b study of LHP588 in people with P. gingivalis infection, confirmed by salivary test, and mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease while continuing to progress other indications and molecules from our library of potent protease inhibitors.