New Publication Demonstrates Disease-Modifying Potential of TELOBLOCK in Models of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

VIENNA, AUSTRIA, August 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — TAG Therapeutics a biotechnology company developing precision medicines for diseases driven by telomere dysfunction, today announces the publication of compelling preclinical data supporting the potential of its proprietary platform, TELOBLOCK, as a disease-modifying treatment for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

The preclinical study (“The telomeric DNA damage response as a therapeutic target in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis” https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-026-00500-x), published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, is based on research work led by Fabrizio d’Adda di Fagagna, Scientific Co-Founder of TAG Therapeutics. The presented data provide compelling evidence that systemic treatment with TELOBLOCK, a telomeric antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) halts disease progression, reduces inflammation, and reverses established lung pathology in a translational genetic mouse model.

IPF is a relentlessly progressive, and ultimately fatal lung disease for which no curative treatments are currently available. While existing antifibrotics can slow disease progression and functional decline, lung transplantation remains the only life-saving intervention. Crucially, approximately one-third of IPF patients exhibit critically short telomeres, a biomarker associated with more aggressive disease and poorer clinical outcomes. This enables TAG Therapeutics to pursue a precision medicine approach by using clinically accessible telomere-length measurements for patient stratification.

“The most exciting implication of this study is that restoring telomere length may not be necessary to counteract the pathological consequences of telomere dysfunction,” said Fabrizio d’Adda di Fagagna, PhD, Scientific Founder and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board at TAG Therapeutics. “By selectively silencing the damage signal generated by dysfunctional telomeres, TELOBLOCK halts and reverses lung fibrosis in a highly translational genetic model. These findings transform telomere dysfunction from a marker of poor prognosis to a druggable root cause of IPF.”

“This study validates our TELOBLOCK platform and reinforces IPF as our lead clinical indication” said Eszter Nagy, MD, PhD, CEO of TAG Therapeutics. “Our priority now is to accelerate the translation of these compelling preclinical data into a first-in-human clinical development program. Because telomere shortening is a fundamental driver of biological aging, achieving clinical proof-of-concept in IPF has the potential to unlock a broad pipeline of transformative therapeutics across multiple age-related diseases.

ABOUT TAG THERAPEUTICS
TAG Therapeutics GmbH is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing precision medicines for telomere pathologies and age-related diseases. The company’s proprietary TELOBLOCK platform utilizes antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to target non-coding RNA at damaged telomeres, selectively inhibiting the DNA Damage Response (DDR) to counteract cellular senescence and inflammation. Beyond Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), the TELOBLOCK technology has broad applicability across a wide spectrum of age-related conditions, including chronic kidney disease, oncology, and Alzheimer’s disease. For more information, visit www.tag-therapeutics.com.

Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, the company is supported by CEBINA (Central European Biotech Incubator and Accelerator, www.cebina.eu), a Vienna-based incubator that drives the translation of scientific innovation into healthcare solutions through an ecosystem designed to enable capital-efficient, accelerated development of biotech ventures.

Vera Baumgartl-Strasser, PhD
CEBINA GmbH
+43 676 3632232
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