Having raised HK$791 million (US$101 million) through an IPO in Hong Kong, Laekna Inc., which develops therapies for cancer and liver fibrosis, now plans to focus on further developing its two lead products in-licensed from Novartis and push its pipeline of 14 products forward.
Three years after stopping development in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, Genfit SA and partner Ipsen Pharma SA have announced positive phase III data for elafibranor in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and are preparing to file for U.S. FDA and EMA approval.
Recent genome-wide association studies have elucidated a spliced variant (rs72613567:TA) in 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13) found to be associated with decreased risk of chronic liver disorders. The presence of this variant also correlates with delayed onset of autoimmune hepatitis in carriers.
From shift workers to flight attendants, disruptions in circadian rhythms are a risk factor for metabolic disorders. Several sessions held at the recent EASL meeting focused on that link, and how disturbances in the internal clock may increase the risk of hepatic disorders.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Lieber Institute Inc. have synthesized peripherally and luminally restricted inhibitors of the serotonin transporter (SERT) reported to be useful for disorders of gastrointestinal motility, including the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
One of the characteristics of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is T-cell exhaustion, which, in turn, is mediated by the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. Researchers at Oligo Therapeutics Inc. reported on ALG-072571, a potent siRNA PD-L1 inhibitor active against HBV infection mouse models.
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, where in addition to the accumulation of fat in the liver, there is also chronic inflammation and hepatocyte injury. With no therapy approved yet, selective thyroid hormone receptor-β (THR-β) agonism has yielded good results in ongoing clinical development.
Recent studies in chronic hepatitis B patients have shown that bepirovirsen, an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), may be considered a suitable option for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
New and updated clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the European Association for the Study of the Liver Congress, including: 89bio, Arrowhead, Mirum, Takeda, Vir.
Cyclophilins are a group of proteins involved in cell metabolism and homeostasis. One of the members, CypD, is located in mitochondria and plays an important role as a regulator of mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT) and necrotic cell death resulting in persistent mPT opening that, in turn, leads to hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI).
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