Omega Therapeutics Inc. has presented preclinical data on hepatocyte nuclear factor 4-alpha (HNF4A) modulation in fibrotic liver disease models to enhance its key role and suggest it as a potent therapeutic target.

Mediar Therapeutics Inc. has announced the nomination of two first-in-class monoclonal antibody clinical candidates for fibrosis. The first, MTX-463, is designed to neutralize WISP-1 signaling. The second candidate, MTX-474, is designed to neutralize EphrinB2 signaling.

Researchers working at with Seoul National University together with GPCR Therapeutics Inc. have focused on targeting pairs of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) starting with the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), which is well known to serve hematopoietic and early developmental functions, while also being required for cancer metastasis.

Researchers from the Universities of Malaga and Cordoba (Spain) presented data from a study that aimed to identify matrisome regulator miRNAs in obesity and prediabetes that could represent novel noninvasive circulating biomarkers of adipose tissue (AT) fibrosis.

Researchers have created an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled implantable bio-sensing device that can change shape and adapt to maintain drug treatment and bypass scar tissue build up. As the foreign body response continues to impact the longevity of implantable medical devices that treat many conditions, the researchers hope that the Fibrosensing Dynamic Soft Reservoir (FSDSR), capable of monitoring fibrotic capsule formation and overcoming its effects via soft robotic actuations, can change the way patients body respond to therapeutic treatments.

Shares in Galecto Inc. (NASDAQ:GLTO) plummeted by 71%, closing Aug. 15 at 67 cents, on news that its lead drug candidate, GB-0139, flamed out in a phase IIb trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The inhaled galectin-3 inhibitor actually performed considerably worse than placebo in the 52-week placebo-controlled study, the endpoint of which was the annual rate of decline from baseline in forced vital capacity (FVC). 

Developers of medical technology have many concerns about the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) handling of coverage and reimbursement, but those controversies have typically revolved around process. A new report sponsored by industry steers a somewhat different tack, however, arguing that while there are issues of process, one key issue is that of funding, a problem that only Congress can remedy.