BOSTON and SUZHOU, China, Sept. 23, 2025 -- HKeyBio, a CRO specializing in preclinical and translational autoimmune-drug development, today announced the launch of HKEY-NHP-MATRIX2.0, a next-generation platform designed to improve the reliability of translating novel autoimmune and allergy therapies from preclinical research to clinical success.

Platform Highlights

• Broad Primate Disease Model Library
  The platform includes over twenty non-human primate (NHP) models spanning autoimmune and allergic diseases in four major categories: dermatology, respiratory, gastroenterology, and rheumatology. These models include, among others, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE), Sjogren's Syndrome (SjS), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Atopic Dermatitis (AD), urticaria, pruritus, Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS), Psoriasis (Pso), asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), Ulcerative Colitis (UC), and Crohn's Disease (CD). www.hkeybio.com
• High-Resolution Omics Database
  HKEY-NHP-MATRIX2.0 offers a spatiotemporal single-cell and spatial omics database covering various immune systems and tissues from the primate models. The data enable differentiation of novel therapeutics vs established treatments, precise biomarker discovery, and mechanistic insights. www.hkeybio.com

Rationale & Advantages

Many rodent models fail to fully replicate human disease biology due to differences in organ structure, molecular and cellular composition, and immune system development. Primate models, by contrast, offer:

• Closer anatomical and developmental similarity in key organs (e.g. lung branching, epithelial lineages, immune cell distributions) that are central to respiratory, dermatologic, or gastrointestinal pathologies.
• Barrier and immune system fidelity: primate gut-associated lymphoid tissues, skin barrier structures, and immune cell types are much more like humans; this supports better modeling of barrier disruption, microbiome interactions, immune cell responses, etc.
• Better modeling of pediatric and early-onset autoimmune/allergic conditions, as immune system ontogeny (thymus development, peripheral tolerance, immune cell diversity) in primates align more closely with humans, especially in infancy.

Impacted Outcomes & Applications

The platform is designed to:

• Improve predictive accuracy in preclinical to clinical translation, reducing the risk of clinical failure due to species differences.
• Enhance the discovery and validation of clinical biomarkers.
• Distinguish subtle differences in mechanism or efficacy between novel agents and existing drugs targeting the same pathways.
• Support precision medicine through customizable data services, enabling more tailored approaches in therapy development.

Conclusion

HKEY-NHP-MATRIX2.0 represents a significant step in enhancing translational rigor for autoimmune and allergy drug discovery. By combining a comprehensive primate disease model resource with deep omics profiling, the platform offers improved mechanistic understanding, more reliable efficacy predictions, and stronger biomarker development — all of which can help bridge the gap between preclinical findings and clinical success.

HKeyBio is an industry-leading CRO specializing in efficacy evaluation and translational research in autoimmune diseases – focused, expert, and dedicated to empowering autoimmune drug innovation. For more information, please visit: www.hkeybio.com

For further information, please contact:
Business Inquiries: us.bd@hkeybio.com