CDT Equity and QIMA to test tapinarof combos in psoriasis

CDT Equity is partnering with dermatology CRO QIMA Life Sciences to evaluate novel tapinarof combinations in psoriasis and vitiligo using human patient skin tissue.

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CDT Equity has entered into a preclinical research partnership with QIMA Life Sciences, a contract research organisation specialising in dermatology, to evaluate combination therapies built around tapinarof in psoriasis and vitiligo. The collaboration will use human skin samples from both healthy donors and patients, which CDT says provides a more clinically relevant data set than standard in vitro or animal models.

Tapinarof, marketed as VTAMA by Dermavant Sciences, is an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist already approved in the United States and Japan for plaque psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. CDT holds a portfolio of solid-form and method-of-use patents covering tapinarof in combination with other drugs, and is positioning those assets as the basis for a second-generation product it hopes will offer improved efficacy or tolerability over the monotherapy.

The deal

Under the arrangement, QIMA will run studies in psoriatic patient skin to assess CDT's combination candidates, with the stated aim of generating data attractive enough to secure a licensing partner. CDT has not named a specific combination partner molecule, nor disclosed a timeline for completing the preclinical work or advancing into formal IND-enabling studies.

CDT also intends to explore the vitiligo indication using the same approach. Vitiligo affects an estimated 0.5 to 2.0 per cent of the global population, and the company cites market research projecting the global vitiligo drug market will grow from approximately 2.6 billion US dollars in 2025 to 6.6 billion dollars by 2030. Current approved options, including topical calcineurin inhibitors and ruxolitinib cream, are described by CDT as intolerable for some patients, particularly children, and re-pigmentation timelines remain lengthy.

Market context

The topical dermatology space has seen considerable commercial and clinical activity in recent years. Incyte's ruxolitinib cream received FDA approval for non-segmental vitiligo in 2022 and is a direct comparator for any new entrant, while the broader JAK inhibitor class continues to generate data across autoimmune skin conditions. The preclinical CRO model CDT is using, leveraging ex vivo human tissue rather than rodent skin, is increasingly favoured by dermatology developers because human skin architecture and immune microenvironment differ substantially from murine models, which has historically been a source of late-stage attrition.

CDT, formerly Conduit Pharmaceuticals, describes itself as a platform for repositioning and licensing therapeutic assets using AI-assisted chemistry. The QIMA partnership fits that model: generate preclinical proof of concept with a specialist CRO, then seek a licensee rather than build development infrastructure internally. Whether that approach generates sufficient data to attract a partner with dermatology scale remains the key commercial question for the company.

The next milestones to watch are the first data readouts from QIMA's patient-skin studies and any formal announcement of a licensing discussion. CDT has not provided a timeline for either.

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