Antaros Medical is proud to have contributed to the Phase II INTEGRIS-PSC trial, recently published by Pliant Therapeutics and their investigators in the Journal of Hepatology.
The study investigated an oral integrin inhibitor in adults with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare and progressive liver disease marked by inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts, often leading to liver failure or the need for transplantation. Given the slow and variable course of PSC and the absence of approved therapies, there is a pressing need for sensitive, non-invasive biomarkers to monitor disease progression and treatment response. In this trial, Antaros Medical performed gadoxetate-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to non-invasively assess liver function, offering valuable insights into improved hepatobiliary excretion of gadoxetate with bexotegrast.
Read more about the study and its results here
Title: Phase II INTEGRIS-PSC trial of bexotegrast, an αvβ6/αvβ1 integrin inhibitor, in primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: Hirschfield GM, Kowdley KV, Trivedi PJ, Eksteen B, Hameed B, Vincent C, Chen T, Goel A, Reddy KG, Orman E, Joshi D, Lefebvre ÉA, Schaub JR, An MC, Clark A, Barnes CN, Pencek R, Thorburn D, Montano-Loza AJ, Schramm C, Bowlus CL, Trauner M, Levy C
Link to article
“Gadoxetic acid enhanced MRI is a valuable tool for assessing liver function non-invasively in clinical trials, a currently unmet need in chronic liver disease.”
– Paul Hockings, Senior Scientific Advisor, Antaros Medical
What is Gadoxetate-enhanced MRI?
Gadoxetate-enhanced MRI is a non-invasive imaging technique used to assess liver function in clinical trials, offering an alternative to liver biopsy. The contrast agent gadoxetic acid is actively taken up by hepatocytes and excreted via the biliary system, allowing quantification of liver function through parameters like relative enhancement and time to bile duct appearance. This method enables early detection of functional changes in chronic liver disease, supporting shorter and more sensitive trials where traditional biomarkers may fall short.
Read more about how we use gadoxetate-enhanced MRI at Antaros Medical in drug development here.