Arnatar Therapeutics’ ART-5 received clinical trial clearance from China’s NMPA for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The program is described as a potential first-in-class upregulating antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutic candidate. ART-5’s clearance moves the therapy into clinical evaluation in a disease area where patient populations and endpoints are well-defined, setting up near-term opportunities for efficacy and biomarker readouts. The NMPA decision also adds another ASO-based option to China’s expanding kidney disease pipeline.