Lifordi Immunotherapeutics

Lifordi Immunotherapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Burlington, Massachusetts, that applies antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology — an approach established in oncology — to autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The company's stated aim is to deliver potent payloads selectively to immune cells so that therapeutic effect is achieved without the systemic toxicity that has historically limited chronic use of such agents.

The lead program, LFD-200, is a subcutaneously administered ADC that delivers a potent glucocorticoid (GC) payload directly to immune cells. It targets myeloid and lymphoid cells via VISTA, described by the company as a highly internalized cell-surface membrane protein; third-party pipeline data lists the target as GR x VISTA with a glucocorticoid receptor modulator mechanism. Preclinical in vitro and non-human primate studies reported by the company showed selective and sustained delivery of the GC payload to immune tissues, inhibition of ex vivo induced inflammatory cytokines, and no observed systemic toxicity at clinically relevant doses, including with weekly subcutaneous dosing for 13 weeks. A Phase 1a/1b randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled single- and multiple-ascending-dose study (NCT07207954) began on 6 October 2025, enrolling up to 66 healthy participants in the SAD portion, up to 40 healthy participants in a MAD portion of up to four weekly doses, and up to 70 participants with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis receiving up to 13 weekly doses.

Beyond LFD-200, Lifordi states that its targeted delivery platform has been applied to other payload classes, including small molecules, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and siRNA. A third-party pipeline database also lists a discovery-stage VISTA-directed asset associated with patent WO2024254212.

Business model

Venture-funded therapeutics developer pursuing internal discovery and clinical development of ADC candidates for immune-mediated disease; the company references a partnering track record and has taken strategic corporate venture investment from Sanofi Ventures, but no revenue-generating products or specific licensing deals are described in the sources.

Traction

Initiated its first-in-human Phase 1 study of LFD-200 in October 2025; the trial was recruiting as of a February 2026 database update. The company presented preclinical data at EULAR 2025, additional non-human primate data at ACR Convergence 2025, and first-in-human Phase 1 data for LFD-200 at EULAR 2026. Total capital raised reached $112 million as of November 2025.

Latest developments

In November 2025, Lifordi announced a strategic investment from Sanofi Ventures alongside additional capital from existing investors ARCH Ventures, 5AM Ventures and Atlas Venture, reported as $42 million and bringing total funding to $112 million; proceeds support the ongoing Phase 1 study of LFD-200 in rheumatoid arthritis and CMC work to secure Phase 2 clinical supply. Christopher Gagliardi, Ph.D., Principal at Sanofi Ventures, joined Lifordi's Board of Directors as an observer. In June 2026 the company presented first-in-human Phase 1 data for LFD-200 at EULAR 2026.