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aTyr aTyr Pharma Announces First Quarter 2021 Results and Provides Corporate Update May 13 , 2021 Data from Phase 1b / 2a clinical trial of ATYR1923 in pulmonary sarcoidosis expected in the third quarter . Preclinical data for IND candidate ATYR2810 showed anti - tumor effects in models of TNBC and NSCLC . Bispecific antibody project with subsidiary Pangu BioPharma achieved milestones for first of two - year project . Ended the quarter with $ 50.6 million in cash , cash equivalents and investments . Company to host conference call and webcast today , May 13 , at 5:00 p.m. EDT / 2 : 00 p.m. PDT . SAN DIEGO , May 13 , 2021 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE ) -- aTyr Pharma , Inc. ( Nasdaq : LIFE ) , a biotherapeutics company engaged in the discovery and development of innovative medicines based on novel biological pathways , today announced first quarter 2021 results and provided a corporate update . " During the first quarter , we remained focused on advancing our lead therapeutic candidate , ATYR1923 . We are tracking towards the readout from our Phase 1b / 2a proof - of - concept study in pulmonary sarcoidosis , our initial interstitial lung disease ( ILD ) indication , which is expected in the third quarter of this year , " said Sanjay S. Shukla , M.D. , M.S. , President and Chief Executive Officer of aTyr . " We have key mechanistic insights regarding ATYR1923's anti - inflammatory effects in patients from our Phase 2 study in COVID - 19 related respiratory complications . This clinical data is consistent with what we have seen preclinically for key anti - inflammatory cytokines that are implicated in sarcoidosis and other ILD . " " Furthermore , we generated additional preclinical data for ATYR2810 , our lead anti - Neuropilin - 2 ( NRP2 ) antibody and IND candidate , including research presented at the American Academy of Cancer Research ( AACR ) Annual Meeting demonstrating tumor inhibitory effects in triple - negative breast cancer ( TNBC ) and non - small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC ) , as both a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy and the targeted agent bevacizumab . Our manufacturing agreement with Lonza for the production of this antibody reflects our commitment to this program . We are off to a strong start in 2021 and look forward to building upon this progress throughout the year . " First Quarter 2021 and Subsequent Period Highlights • Progressed its Phase 1b / 2a multiple - ascending dose , placebo - controlled study of ATYR1923 in 37 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis . Data is expected in the third quarter of this year . • Reported positive results from its Phase 2 study of ATYR1923 in COVID - 19 patients with severe respiratory complications , which provided proof - of - mechanism for ATYR1923 . The study met its primary safety endpoint and demonstrated signals of clinical activity . Biomarker data showed that ATYR1923 reduced levels of several inflammatory cytokines and chemokines , including those that are implicated in sarcoidosis and other ILD , which is consistent with findings from animal models . • Appointed leading sarcoidosis advocate Andrea Wilson as a patient advisor to the company . Ms. Wilson , Co - Founder and former member of the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research ( FSR ) , will advise the company on patient strategies related to its clinical program for ATYR1923 in pulmonary sarcoidosis . • Participated in a Virtual Town Hall on Steroids and Sarcoidosis in collaboration with the FSR to discuss the burden of steroid treatment for patients with sarcoidosis and the need for new treatments . • Presented two posters at the AACR Annual Meeting related to preclinical research for ATYR2810 in conjunction with the company's scientific advisor Dr. Arthur Mercurio and his lab at the Department of Molecular , Cell and Cancer Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School . In models of TNBC , ATYR2810 administered in combination with widely used anti - cancer therapeutics , including chemotherapy or the targeted VEGF antibody bevacizumab , increased the anti - tumor effects of each agent . ATYR2810 also down - regulated epithelial - mesenchymal transition genes , which may be a mechanism that mediates its anti - tumor effects . In animal models of NSCLC , ATYR2810 inhibited tumor growth when administered both as a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy . • Entered into an agreement with Lonza , a leading contract development and manufacturing organization , for the manufacture of ATYR2810 to support the progression of ATYR2810 to clinical stage development . • Pangu BioPharma , the company's Hong Kong subsidiary , together with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology , achieved the milestones of the first year of a two - year project funded in part by the Hong Kong Government's Innovation and Technology Commission to develop a high - throughput platform for the development of bispecific antibodies