Lifordi Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company focused on antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, announced on November 18, 2025, a strategic investment from Sanofi Ventures, the venture arm of Sanofi. The funding also includes additional capital from existing investors ARCH Ventures, 5AM Ventures, and Atlas Venture, bringing total funds raised to $112 million. The investment supports an ongoing Phase 1 study in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) evaluating LFD-200, an ADC designed to deliver a potent glucocorticoid (GC) directly to immune cells, and provides for Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) preparations to ensure timely Phase 2 clinical supply.
Christopher Gagliardi, Ph.D., Principal at Sanofi Ventures, will join as an observer on Lifordi’s Board of Directors. “Sanofi has demonstrated a strong commitment to invest in new treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and we are fortunate to have this support from Chris and the Sanofi Ventures team alongside our current investors to advance LFD-200 and our targeted ADC delivery pipeline for immune-mediated conditions,” said Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer of Lifordi. “Enrollment and dosing in our Phase 1 study of LFD-200 in RA is progressing as planned, and we look forward to sharing initial data from healthy participants in the coming months.”
Sanofi Ventures’ interest stems from Lifordi’s targeted approach to deliver glucocorticoids without systemic toxicity. “We continue to search for new approaches to improve the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and were intrigued by Lifordi’s targeted ADC approach to deliver glucocorticoids without toxicity,” said Christopher Gagliardi, Ph.D. “Once we met the team and did our due diligence on the proof-of-concept data in multiple animal models of autoimmune disease together with extensive nonclinical studies, we made the decision to invest in Lifordi now. This enables Sanofi to share our expertise and experiences to help guide LFD-200 through clinical studies and support pipeline development using this approach to deliver other drug payloads, such as ASOs or siRNAs.”
Lifordi’s Phase 1 clinical trial is currently enrolling and dosing healthy participants to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LFD-200. Initial healthy participant data will include both safety and pharmacodynamic measures. Following single and multiple ascending dosing (SAD/MAD studies), the Company plans to evaluate LFD-200 in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. Lifordi recently presented non-clinical data at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2025 meeting showing that clinically relevant doses of LFD-200 given subcutaneously every 7 days for 13 weeks maintained glucocorticoid exposure in immune cells without evidence of systemic toxicity. By harnessing the efficacy of GCs while limiting the toxicity, LFD-200 has the potential to solve the problem that has limited the broad and long-term use of GCs for the past 75 years.
Lifordi Immunotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging the success of ADCs to develop treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Its lead ADC, LFD-200, targets myeloid and lymphoid cells using a highly internalized cell surface membrane protein (VISTA). The company has also applied its novel drug delivery platform to other diverse payloads, such as small molecules, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and siRNA. For more information, visit www.lifordi.com.
