Our commitment
Windward Bio strives to transform the treatment paradigm in immunology.
Therapeutic Areas
Understanding the everyday experiences of patients living with serious immunological diseases helps inform Windward Bio’s approach to the development of new treatment options.
Asthma
Asthma is a common, chronic, and heterogeneous respiratory disease characterized by inflammation of the airways that can result in significant morbidity and mortality if not adequately controlled.
Asthma symptoms vary over time and in intensity with the typical symptoms being wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough. These symptoms are also accompanied by variable expiratory airflow limitation: a narrowing of the airways that makes it harder to breathe out. Its development and exacerbations reflect an interplay between the immune system and the environment, with genetic predisposition, allergen exposure, respiratory infections, airborne pollutants—including inhaled tobacco smoke, vapes, and other environmental factors—all contributing to its severity. Patients who are unable to control their disease despite high-dose inhaled therapy are considered to have severe asthma, accounting for a disproportionate share of exacerbations, hospitalizations, treatment burden, and cost.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), currently the third leading cause of death worldwide, is a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms. These symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, sputum production, and disease exacerbations arising from airway abnormalities such as bronchitis or bronchiolitis, and emphysema (damage to the alveoli—the air sacs of the lungs where oxygen enters the blood).
Patients with COPD are also prone to acute symptom worsening, or exacerbations. COPD exacerbations are frequently triggered by respiratory infections and environmental exposures such as air pollution and temperature extremes, which contribute to further disease progression, healthcare utilization, and mortality, and which require targeted preventive and treatment strategies.
Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease driven substantially by type-2 inflammation.
AD is characterized by recurrent eczematous lesions, dry skin, and intense, persistent itch (pruritus). It follows a fluctuating course of flares and partial remissions rather than a steady state. Itch is the dominant and most disabling symptom: it is frequently unrelenting, disrupts sleep, and drives the scratching that further damages the skin and perpetuates the disease. The visible, often extensive skin involvement, combined with chronic itch and sleep loss, produces a substantial impact on quality of life, mental health, work and school productivity, as well as the well-being of families and caregivers. AD is also associated with a range of comorbidities, including other type-2 conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergy, as well as an increased burden of anxiety and depression. The economic burden, spanning direct treatment costs and substantial indirect costs from lost productivity, is correspondingly large.